HTC president calls monthly Android security updates ‘unrealistic’

By Jason Hahn October 4, 2015

Jason Mackenzie HTC — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The bug known as Stagefright, an MMS video-based exploit targeted at Android phones, spooked Google, Samsung, and LG into committing to rolling out monthly security updates for their respective devices. HTC, however, appears to consider monthly updates to be “unrealistic.”

The president of HTC America, Jason Mackenzie, used his Twitter account to respond to a developer asking why the company isn’t joining Google, Samsung, and LG in rolling out monthly security updates to its users. “We will push for them,” Mackenzie said, “but unrealistic for anyone to say guaranteed every month.”

Mackenzie’s response has earned him and HTC some eye-rolling, but it’s worth noting that carrier approval is sometimes a hurdle for device manufacturers that want to roll out updates. In a follow-up comment in the thread sparked by his original reply, Mackenzie said updates are easy for unlocked and non-carrier devices.

“Nexus and unlocked is completely different story. If product required third-party certification it is not in your full control,” Mackenzie clarified in a separate comment thread.

HTC, the fifth largest smartphone manufacturer in the U.S. in the three months ending July, has had a difficult year. The One M9 missed the mark and the company’s reputation has taken a beating. Legitimate justifications aside, the optics of this recent Twitter clamor certainly don’t help the company’s situation.

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Jason Hahn is a part-time freelance writer based in New Jersey. He earned his master's degree in journalism at Northwestern…

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