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Google has confirmed that Android devices running Android 12 or older are no longer receiving security updates, leaving nearly 42% of Android phones vulnerable to malware and spyware attacks. Only 57.9% of devices currently run Android 13 or newer, meaning everything below that threshold is effectively frozen without protection. Phones launched in 2021 or earlier are the hardest hit, and despite the passage of time, the situation hasn’t improved much. As a result, around one billion Android users worldwide remain stuck on unsupported and increasingly risky software.
Android’s security problem isn’t new or accidental, it’s rooted in long-standing fragmentation. While Google develops Android, it doesn’t control update rollouts for most phones outside its Pixel lineup. Brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Motorola decide how long devices are supported, often dropping updates after just a few years. In contrast, Apple’s tight control over both hardware and software allows it to push updates to older iPhones far more consistently.
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The numbers highlight how broken Android’s update pipeline remains. Only 7.5% of Android phones run the latest version, Android 16, while more than four in ten devices are already outside Google’s official security support. Versions like Android 12 and below, still used by millions, no longer receive security patches, leaving a huge portion of users exposed. By comparison, iOS adoption is far more concentrated, with the majority of iPhones running the latest or previous version, underscoring the stark gap between the two ecosystems.
Google’s advice to users is straightforward. If your phone is running Android 12 or older and cannot be upgraded, it’s no longer protected by security updates and should be replaced. That doesn’t mean buying an expensive flagship, modern mid-range phones running Android 13 or newer still receive monthly security patches and are far safer than older premium devices stuck on outdated software.
While Google Play Protect continues to offer malware scanning on Android 7 and newer, it cannot replace missing system-level security patches that stop advanced exploits. The risks are real: malware can steal credentials, intercept messages and authentication codes, and even drain banking or trading accounts. With roughly one billion users still on unsupported devices, Google has made its stance clear, keeping an outdated Android phone is now a calculated risk, and upgrading is the safer choice.
