[signal11]

Android (the project) may release updates, but it's useless if the phone manufacturers don't distribute them.

The article says

> According to the Android security bulletin, there were no security patches issued for the Android system in 2019 for versions below 7.0

But this doesn't really matter. The only way the vast majority of Android users will get an update is if there's an "over the air" (OTA) update. Which most device manufacturers don't provide. I've seen Samsung phones from 2016 which are stuck on Android 6, no security updates. I don't actively use Android personally, but I suspect there are more recent phones in a similar situation.

This is the crux of Android's problems re security updates.

The only consumer-grade phone I'm aware of that does a decent job of security updates is Google's Pixel. Interestingly Samsung do provide security updates fairly promptly for some models -- possibly because they're widely used as corporate Android devices and their purchasers made security updates a requirement.

[death-by-ppt]

From https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705

"Pixel phones get Android version updates for at least 3 years from when the device first became available on the Google Store".

My Pixel (1st gen) no longer gets updates as of a few months ago. I might flash an open source Android ROM, such as LineageOS.