Last week there were some reports about a vulnerability of the Android operating system that allowed an attacker to access personal files in a smartphone through an MMS message. It’s called Stagefright and not only could they steal information, but they could also control some aspects of the smartphone such as using the camera and the microphone. Since most phones are programmed to receive this kind of messages by default, it is a serious concern. Google has been working on a patch ever since the threat was found, but since the operating system is tweaked by OEMs and carriers, only the Nexus devices would receive the patch directly from Google.
Manufacturers have also been working on it and carriers as well are trying to release the patch as soon as possible. Sprint was the one that reported that the fix was available for Nexus devices today. Other devices locked on this carrier like the Galaxy Note 4 have also been updated to solve this potential issue and now some more Samsung devices will get the patch. The current flagships, the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge, as well as some last year models including the Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy Note Edge will start getting it today. All of these devices are some of the most popular offerings from Samsung, so probably more smartphones will get the update soon.
Users may be prompted with the update, so they should follow the instructions to complete the installation. On the other hand, if the users would like to check if the update is available they could go to the Settings menu and they can find System Update in the System section. Still, it could take a couple of days before the update reaches every device. More carriers will probably update their devices in the days to follow, but it’s nice to see that they are working on updating as many devices as they can to prevent bad things to happen and have our devices as secure as they can be. We’ll keep you posted as more devices get this important patch as well as the versions that get it.