Google is overhauling how Android security updates are delivered, and the change could have a significant impact on both phone manufacturers and end users.
For years, Android’s security model revolved around predictable monthly bulletins. Every month Google would publish a detailed list of vulnerabilities, no matter how severe, and manufacturers would scramble to roll out patches.
While this transparency was useful, it often led to bottlenecks, inconsistencies in update rollouts, and a heavy workload for device makers.
Now Google is introducing a new risk-based approach that focuses less on quantity and more on urgency, with the goal of making the entire ecosystem safer and more efficient.
Instead of bundling every issue into a monthly package, Google will now classify security flaws by risk. Critical or high-risk vulnerabilities, especially those already being exploited in the wild, will be patched and released immediately as part of a monthly bulletin.
Meanwhile, moderate and low-risk issues will be grouped together for larger quarterly updates. This model is less about tracking every single bug in real time and more about ensuring that users are shielded from the most dangerous threats without unnecessary delays.
This shift is designed to ease the pressure on phone manufacturers. Previously, many brands struggled to keep up with monthly updates, sometimes skipping them altogether or pushing them late.
With a risk-based system, manufacturers can now dedicate their resources to quickly deploying the most important patches, while planning more methodically for the comprehensive quarterly updates. For companies that have historically fallen behind, this could mean a more reliable update pipeline, which in turn benefits users who may have been left exposed under the old system.
From a user perspective, the change should bring some relief. If your device is already getting monthly patches, the difference will be subtle, with updates arriving as usual whenever Google detects a high-risk issue.
But if you are using a phone from a brand with inconsistent update habits, this approach may actually improve the odds that you will receive timely fixes for the most pressing problems. The quarterly rollouts will still provide broad coverage for less urgent vulnerabilities, ensuring devices remain protected against a wide range of threats.
Of course, the new strategy is not without its critics. Some security experts have raised concerns that delaying lower-severity patches until the next quarterly cycle could give attackers more time to exploit them if details of the vulnerabilities were to surface.
However, Google’s reasoning is that these issues are unlikely to cause immediate harm compared to high-risk flaws, and the benefits of speed and efficiency outweigh the theoretical risks. In practice, the most dangerous exploits will still be addressed immediately.
This move reflects the reality of today’s mobile threat landscape. With billions of active Android devices worldwide, not every vulnerability poses the same level of danger.
Prioritizing patches for active exploits over theoretical flaws ensures that limited engineering resources are deployed where they matter most.
It also acknowledges that update fatigue was a real problem for manufacturers who struggled under the monthly model. By adopting a triage approach, Google is streamlining the process without compromising on security where it truly counts.
The July 2025 cycle provided an early example of this change in action.
For the first time in years, no monthly bulletin was released, leading some users to question whether updates had stopped altogether. In reality, there were simply no high-risk vulnerabilities to address that month.
While this may take some getting used to, it underscores the purpose of the new model: users will only see a bulletin when it genuinely matters.
In the long term, Google’s risk-based approach could strengthen trust in Android’s security model. Instead of overwhelming users and manufacturers with exhaustive lists every month, the system will now deliver timely, targeted fixes for critical vulnerabilities, alongside comprehensive quarterly updates that cover everything else. For everyday Android users, it translates to a more consistent and meaningful security experience.
