Security updates are important for mobile devices like the Nexus 6 but the March patch will have to wait. An issue has cropped up and it involves an API that checks the phone to see if tampered. Until the matter is resolved, folks will have to wait for the security update fix.
The mess was brought about by some who were able to apply the March security update for the Nexus 6. It was discovered that the latest patch breaks SafetyNet which is associated with Android Pay. The API would initially check if the phone is tampered with, looking for bootloaders, flashing custom ROMS and other stuff that may compromise the security of a mobile device. In all, the March security patch prevents Android Pay from working even if the Nexus 6 is secure, Phone Arena reported.
A visit to the Nexus OTA pages will not show the March security update. Google is on the case and currently working on the issue. The latest update is that the link to the factory image and OTA file (N6F26U) is live once more, Android Police reported. While most seem fairly similar to before, SafetyNet is the only part that has been disabled for now as the developers try to figure out the root cause of the API malfunction.
With one part taken out, Nexus 6 owners should be able to use the other features of the March security update. Outside the API issues involving SafetyNet, there are other fixes important for Nexus 6 owners. That includes more flexibility for Android partners to quickly fix a subset of vulnerabilities similar across all Android-powered devices.
Before the SafetyNet issue for the Nexus 6 came out, Google had reportedly fixed 22 high severity issues and 11 critical problems. It remains to be seen when the API will be patched and what made it malfunction.
