In an unexpected turn of events, Google has not issued any Android security patches in July 2025, marking the first time in a decade that the company has skipped its monthly security update cycle.

Since August 2015, Google has consistently released monthly security bulletins for Android and its related platforms — including Pixel devices, Wear OS, Android Automotive OS, and Pixel Watch — in an effort to maintain strong security across the ecosystem. But this month’s bulletin includes a simple yet striking message: no security patches this time.

What Does This Mean?

The absence of updates doesn’t suggest Android has reached flawless security. Rather, it underscores the evolving nature of how Google addresses vulnerabilities. Over the years, the company has invested heavily in improving Android’s security model, reducing the overall attack surface and making common exploit paths — such as use-after-free vulnerabilities — significantly harder to abuse.

A notable example of this progress is Google’s adoption of Rust, a memory-safe programming language that has helped drastically lower the number of memory-related bugs when compared to traditional languages like C++. Google reported in 2024 that using Rust has already led to fewer memory safety issues in Android, and this trend is expected to continue.

A Decade of Progress — And a Pause

Since launching monthly updates in response to the 2015 Stagefright vulnerability, Google has patched close to 8,000 security issues, including approximately 40 zero-day vulnerabilities. In just the first half of 2025 alone, around 270 vulnerabilities were addressed — including six zero-days across Android and various third-party components.

What About Device Manufacturers?

While Google’s own platforms saw no updates this month, third-party vendors like Qualcomm and MediaTek did publish bulletins highlighting critical and high-severity issues in their chipsets. Without the Android patch release to coordinate with, the delivery of these vendor-specific fixes to users may be delayed — potentially affecting billions of Android devices worldwide.

What Should Users and Enterprises Do?

Even without a patch this month, cybersecurity hygiene remains essential:

• Keep all apps and firmware updated to the latest available versions.
• Avoid sideloading apps from untrusted sources.
• Use mobile endpoint protection solutions where appropriate.
• Stay alert for the August 2025 bulletin, as it may include a backlog of delayed fixes.

At Nubetia, we continue to monitor developments in mobile platform security to help our clients stay protected in an ever-changing threat landscape. Even a one-month gap in patching underscores the importance of vulnerability management, device compliance, and proactive defense in your mobile security strategy.

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Source: https://www.securityweek.com/july-2025-breaks-a-decade-of-monthly-android-patches/