That security patch date on your Android phone is no longer the full story

Google released new tools allowing Android apps to get a much more accurate picture of how secure your phone really is. That security patch date on your Android phone is no longer the. Google just changed how Android apps check your phone’s security.

Apps can also check whether a security update is available and ready for installation, potentially prompting users before they perform sensitive tasks. A phone can now be recognized as protected even if its overall security patch date hasn’t changed, as long as it has received the specific security fix. Until now, your Android phone’s security patch level and the date attached to it have served as an easy way for apps and businesses to check whether your phone is up to date.

But it doesn’t always tell the complete story. That’s because Android can update different parts of the OS separately. Some updates come directly from the phone maker, while other components can be updated through Google Play without requiring a full system update.