Android 16 Smartphone Users Issued Critical Security Alert By Indian Govt: What You Should Know | Tech News

Android 16, 15 and older versions are affected by the major issue

Android 16, 15 and other versions are facing a serious security issue and the Indian government has issued its latest security alert for millions of users in the country. The new risk alert comes via the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) this month where it says the issues can allow attackers to gain sensitive information, and cause denial of service conditions on the targeted system.

Having the latest Android version along with a host of older numbers on list means that nobody is safe from these security risks unless the manufacturers act on the issues and fix them at the earliest. 

Android Security Risk: What The Govt Says

The alert from the Indian government dated November 6, 2025 explains the issues, how it affects the Android users and who are likely to be targeted because of these vulnerabilities. “Multiple vulnerabilities exist in Google Android due to flaws in the Android bug ID, Qualcomm reference number, MediaTek reference number, NVIDIA reference number, Broadcom reference number, UNISOC reference number.” 

These are some of the biggest companies that make hardware and components for Android phones in the market. And this means people using budget Android devices can also become easy prey to attacks if these vulnerabilities are exploited. 

More importantly, it is not just the Android phones that can be attacked, you have Android smartwatches, tablets and even smart home devices could be linked to the issues. 

If you have phones running on these versions:  

• Android 16
• Android 15
• Android 14
• Android 13

The government alert says you could become a target for potential data breach or the bad actors can crash your system as well. 

Android Security Issue: Update Now! 

Google has issued a series of advisory for the security issues and the patches are available for most brands in the market. You just need to update to the latest available security patch for Android by following these steps: 

• Go to Settings on your phone
• Scroll down to System update
• Look for a new update
• Install and reboot the phone
• Now the Android phone is secure from the vulnerabilities

Android 16 is the latest version in the market that is getting a lot of headlines in the past few weeks as brands like OnePlus, Vivo and Oppo among others upgrade their older models to the new version.