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Essential already rolling out February security update to Essential Phone
- AOSP posted the February 2018 security patch yesterday.
- Now, only one day later, Essential is rolling out a February update that includes that patch.
- Essential Phones with Sprint SIM cards, however, will have to sideload the update.
Only one day after AOSP posted the February 2018 Android Security Bulletin, Essential is rolling out a software update to the Essential Phone that includes that security patch. That’s a quick turnaround!
However, this update only applies to Essential Phones not connected to Sprint. If your Essential Phone has a Sprint SIM, you will have to sideload the update, as the carriers have final say over when updates are pushed out. Sprint, unbelievably, hasn’t sent an update to Essential Phones since November last year.
If you do sideload the update, keep in mind that the original cable shipped with Essential Phones is a hazard, so use a different cable for sideloading.
The Essential Phone had an uphill battle ahead of it from the very beginning, debuting in a saturated smartphone market in a downturn. But with Andy Rubin at the helm, the grandfather of Android, it seemed there could be room in the industry for a new forward-thinking device.
However, Essential has been plagued with problems, including a severely delayed launch date, broken promises of durability, software glitches, and Andy Rubin himself accused of sexual harassment.
Still, the Essential Phone is a beautiful device, and you have to hand it to them for continuing to do right by their customers with fast updates like this one announced today.