Obviously, some Android versions bring more significant performance enhancement than others. These patches are rolled out through monthly security updates, making such updates just as important as full-fledged Android version upgrades.Īndroid 12 saw some of the most notable performance improvements to the platform in a long time, with Google claiming it “reduced the CPU time needed for core system services by 22%.” This helps apps launch faster and the system run smoother. It’s really a cat-and-mouse game where Google plugs exploitable vulnerabilities, bad actors find their way around them, and Google patches things up again.

The Android system isn’t infallible, just like any other OS, and bad actors often find new vulnerabilities to exploit when older ones are patched. The older your Android version is, the more important security features you miss out on. You can see what we are trying to get at here. Then, Android 13 expanded upon this with built-in controls to stop apps from using Wi-Fi permissions to collect your location data. Android 12 further enforced privacy by introducing dedicated privacy indicators for when an app accesses your mic and camera. If the user selects this option, the app is granted temporary one-time permission. Android 11 changed this by introducing an “Only this time” permission in the permissions dialogue.

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