Urgent warning issued to everyone with an Android phone

Mobile users with an Android phone are being warned to update their phone to ensure it has the latest security features to protect against hackers.

The update comes after two bugs were detected that allowed hackers to install malware or steal files on without needing a password, and also gain control of phones and make them crash.

highlighted the issues in a which details almost 50 discovered in the previous Android software.

The two bugs were the most severe of the cyber problems identified, with Google describing them as a “high security vulnerability”.

Google has fixed both issues and is warning Android users to install the latest February 2025 security update to ensure their phone is protected. The latest update fixes all of the cybersecurity flaws identified in the previous Android software.

Google said: “Exploitation for many issues on Android is made more difficult by enhancements in newer versions of the Android platform. We encourage all users to update to the latest version of Android where possible.”

The software update will roll out on Google Pixel devices immediately, while Android phones from other manufacturers, like Samsung, will receive it later.

Mobile phone users are advised to check the settings on the device and look for either the 2025-02-01 and 2025-02-05 security patch levels.

Suspicious apps and files are closely monitored on Android devices through Google Play Protect, which checks your device and apps for harmful behaviour and helps keep your data private.

The feature runs a safety check before any apps are downloaded and will either warn you about potentially harmful apps, or deactivate and remove them from your device. It also issues warnings about detected apps that violate Google’s Unwanted Software Policy by hiding or misrepresenting important information.

Mobile users will be sent privacy alerts about apps that can get user permissions to access your personal information, and the feature may reset app permissions to protect your privacy on certain Android versions.

Google explains: “Google Play Protect is on by default, but you can turn it off. For security, we recommend that you always keep Google Play Protect on.

“If you install apps from unknown sources outside of the Google Play Store, Google Play Protect may ask you to send unknown apps to Google. When you turn on the ‘Improve harmful app detection’ setting, you allow Google Play Protect to automatically send unknown apps to Google.

“Google Play Protect checks apps when you install them. It also periodically scans your device. If it finds a potentially harmful app, it might:

• Send you a notification. To remove the app, tap the notification, then tap Uninstall.

• Disable the app until you uninstall it.

• Remove the app automatically. In most cases, if a harmful app has been detected, you will get a notification saying that the app was removed.”