OS and security updates ?

Hi,

We have a  Moto G9 Play that no longer gets any updates, its last being Android 11 and Security patch May 2022.

How concerned should we be about our phones security  and is there anything we can do to improve it eg malwarebytes etc ?

Seems only Google and Samsung offer more than one OS update and a few years security patches, so buying an expensive phone every couple of years is not possible for everyone to ensure they have the latest updates.

Was looking at the Samsung A15 but seems they are not as good as previous models according to quiet a few poor users reviews and the Motos only get very limited updates, all based on the time the phone was introduced, rather than when one buys it.

So I looked online and saw that Moto G9 Play came with Android 10 and was offered Android 11. So basically 1 feature update and 2 years of security updates. That's rather abysmal. Google for their Pixel 8 will offer 7 years of updates. Samsung in general offers 4 upgrades and 5 years of security patches, but their S24 series will get 7 years to match Google. So both should have much longer support window than the ~2 years of security updates that you had with Moto G9.

I have been going down the same route as dino and was also looking at the Samsung A15 as I have an A12 which is obviously, ancient, in Mobile terms.

However I have not been able to find out if it is still receiving any updates, as I see no reason to ditch it.

I shall be following this thread carefully, 

I have been going down the same route as dino and was also looking at the Samsung A15 as I have an A12 which is obviously, ancient, in Mobile terms.

 

However I have not been able to find out if it is still receiving any updates, as I see no reason to ditch it.

 

I shall be following this thread carefully, 

You are still receiving biannual security updates. See https://security.samsungmobile.com/workScope.smsb

Thank you and thankyou again, for the link.

Hi,

Yes, despite the G9 Play working well,  Motorola are very poor on Updates, OS and Security,  hence looking at the Samsung A15 with their long Updates.

More expensive phones like the Samsung S series or Pixel 8 etc are out of our budget for a phone,  though the highly recommended  Pixel 7A would be at the very top of what we would want to pay.

@wee-eddie    Though online reviewers say the A15 is great, if you look at some of the selling sites , including Samsungs,  the one and two star reviews on the A15,  they do show a common theme of problems, some saying they wished they had stuck with their old A12, as despite expectations they say its not  the improvement they were hoping for,  so suggest you do some research yourself.

Thats why we were wondering if we could improve the security of our existing Moto g9 by some means ...

Edited by dino2014, 29 April 2024 - 02:37 PM.

dino, That, more or less, sums up what I've been told.

And #4's link suggests that I have over 3 years of support left, but only twice a year.

So I shall still be watching the thread.

dino, That, more or less, sums up what I've been told.

 

And #4's link suggests that I have over 3 years of support left, but only twice a year.

 

So I shall still be watching the thread.

There are not that many low star user reviews on the A15  but they do seem to have common complaints and one thing we do not want is a fiddley dithering  touch screen.

So difficult to say how good or bad they really are, and with their long life updates its a hard choice.

Would you look at anything other than a Samsung ? 

We get the Computer Active magazine (UK ) and its tested Best Buys are generally very good, they rate the Pixel 7A the best Android in that price range,  but nothing as a best buy in a lower price range though they often rate the Motos very good.

If you want to keep your device, Moto G9 does support Lineage OS. However, I am not as familiar with ROMs or whether you can get things like Google Play or have full hardware support or not. It's best for someone who knows more about this to jump in.

If you want to keep your device, Moto G9 does support Lineage OS. However, I am not as familiar with ROMs or whether you can get things like Google Play or have full hardware support or not. It's best for someone who knows more about this to jump in.

Yes, thanks, had already looked at it, but probably a step too far for us.

Well been looking a various Long Term reviews of the A15 and they do seem to confirm some of the earlier problems which rather puts us off it.

Also looked at the Pixel 7A which does get good reviews and has long updates, but its a smaller screen and costs around £330.

Looked around at the other Samsungs like the A25 but thats seems to be similar to the A15 in some respects.

Then came across the A34, introduced 1 year ago, but it gets good long term reviews as its seems in some ways its better than the more expensive later models.

Even today it should still get 3 year OS updates,. to Android 17 and 4 years security updates.

Priced on Argos at £225 or cheaper elsewhere it does look promising, though now no longer been sold on Samsungs site.

Any thoughts  ...?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRtuvgrYWjg

Edited by dino2014, 04 May 2024 - 05:07 AM.

dino, That, more or less, sums up what I've been told.

 

And #4's link suggests that I have over 3 years of support left, but only twice a year.

 

So I shall still be watching the thread.

What we have read  suggests your updates will end a lot sooner than  that, you might want to get some more certain info.  If yours ran to 2027 that would mean it would get an unlikely 7 years of updates since it was introduced in 2020

eg  Samsungs site  - https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/galaxy-a-series/a12-no-more-support/td-p/8526304

After looking into things some more decided to get the A15 5G  despite the above mentioned possible problems.

Been using it for a few days and really pleased with it, a good improvement from the old Moto G9 and really like Samsungs UI which seems much more intuitive.

Everythings seems to work  fine,  nice clear display,  battery life , wifi, BT, Mobile, 5G.

It gets Android updates to v17 and Security to 2028

However we are not using it 24 hours a day, gaming, ytubing , social media etc etc and cannot compare it to earlier Samsung phones so difficult to say if it would be a good phone to update from your A12 ?

To the original poster of this topic,

 I use a mobile Samsung A13. It works pretty well. It does not receive "updates" per say but Samsung is still a good brand to go with. But go with the A13, not the A12.

 

I have been going down the same route as dino and was also looking at the Samsung A15 as I have an A12 which is obviously, ancient, in Mobile terms.

 

However I have not been able to find out if it is still receiving any updates, as I see no reason to ditch it.

 

I shall be following this thread carefully, 

You are still receiving biannual security updates. See https://security.samsungmobile.com/workScope.smsb

 

Based on this link, A13 receives quarterly security updates.

 

 

I have been going down the same route as dino and was also looking at the Samsung A15 as I have an A12 which is obviously, ancient, in Mobile terms.

 

However I have not been able to find out if it is still receiving any updates, as I see no reason to ditch it.

 

I shall be following this thread carefully, 

You are still receiving biannual security updates. See https://security.samsungmobile.com/workScope.smsb

 

Based on this link, A13 receives quarterly security updates.

 

It does at least receive updates though-which is important.