Fragmentation At Its Worst: Android Dialer Bug Affects Most Phones

It turns out that the Android dialer bug affects much more than just the Galaxy S III like many previously believed. According to the Verge, a bug in the Android dialer allows unpatched Android phones to be remotely wiped. And while it was originally believed that this bug only affected Samsung phones, tests by Dylan Reeve and the Next Web say differently. Dylan Reeve was able to replicate this issue on both his HTC One X and on his rooted Motorola Defy. The Next Web reports that the issue was also apparent on an HTC Desire, which was released over two years ago and is currently running Android 2.2.

What’s worse? The issue was solved in June; however, most phones aren’t running the updated code that fixes this issue. This is another example of Android fragmentation at its worst. If you’re an Android user who’s wondering if your phone is affected by the bug, Dylan Reeve has you covered. He’s put together a website that will test your phone for the bug. This test will not wipe your phone. As of now, the only way to protect yourself from the bug is to use an alternative dialer, which you can find via the Google Play store. You could also wait for your phone to be patched, but depending on your carrier and phone manufacturer, the patch could take a while to reach your smartphone.

Source: The Verge

Andrew is a geek, Apple enthusiast, blogger and coffee lover from Chicago.