Why Android users should 'give up, switch to Apple and buy an iPhone'

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs unveils the original iPhone

ANDROID smartphone owners should "switch to Apple and buy an iPhone," a renowned online security journalist has recommended.

 

The warning comes days after a terrifying new vulnerability was discovered in the Android operating system which leaves some 950 million people open to attack.

Android offers more freedom than iOS, but it could be at the expense of security

 

The new vulnerability – dubbed Stagefright – allows cybercriminals to gain access to your smartphone with one text message.

As soon as the text is received, the hacker is able to copy data, move files, delete data, take over your microphone and camera to monitor your every word and move.

The sheer scale of the attack has led renown security journalist Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai to recommend Android users consider abandoning the platform.

Mr Franceschi-Bicchierai has never been a fan of products – yet is convinced the iOS ecosystem now offers a safer option for mobile users.

 

"When the original iPhone came out a few years ago, I swore in multiple heated discussions with friends and strangers that I’d never buy an iPhone," he wrote on Motherboard.

I particularly disliked Apple fanboys’ dumb 'oh my god there’s a new iThing coming out' reverence and hysteria

Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai

 

"I particularly disliked Apple fanboys’ dumb 'oh my god there’s a new iThing coming out' reverence and hysteria."

“I’ve only owned Android phones. First a few HTC ones, now a Sony phone.”

The main complaint listed by Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai is the slow speed it can take to roll-out a patch for security vulnerabilities, like Stagefright.

When there is a bug in iOS, Apple can fix the glitch and roll-out the update to all iPhone owners.

 

Mr Franceschi-Bicchierai explains: “When the same thing happens with Android, Google patches and then… God knows when the AT&Ts, Verizons, HTCs, and Sonys of the world will decide it’s important enough that they should care and send you the update with the patch (though to their credit, they’re starting to care, mostly because having an updated OS is now seen as a competitive advantage)”

Switching to an Apple iPhone is not the only proposed solution.

Mr Franceschi-Bicchierai also recommends installing the Android-based operating system CyanogenMod as an alternative.

 

Another option, he writes, is to buy a Nexus smartphone.

Nexus hardware is always first to get the latest updates from Google, including major operating system updates and small security patches.

“Or, lastly, you can give up, switch to Apple and buy an iPhone,” the security writer adds.

“As much as my old self will hate me, I’m going to choose the last option.”