Motorola is currently in the middle of releasing the latest Android 5.1.1 Lollipop to a total of 17 devices including the Moto G 1st Gen, 2nd Gen, and 3rd Gen released in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively.
Back in June, Google acknowledged the presence of the StageFright bug that affects scores of Android devices. It exploits a weakness in the Android platform's multimedia processing that allows hackers to remotely access devices by sending a simple MMS message. StageFright multimedia messages often contains a video and infect the recipient device with malicious code.
This issue has prompted the device maker to hasten the roll out of the firmware upgrade to several of its recent handset models.
Google has already begun patching the update to several of its co-branded Nexus devices. Samsung is reportedly working through a similar fix that will be implemented its extensive lineups of mobile devices starting with its flagships. Recently, Motorola has also announced its plan to update its phones to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop in order to address the said security threat.
The Moto G is one of the company's best-selling handset and given the fact that it is already in its third generation, plenty of users are exposed to the StageFright vulnerability. That is why it was no surprise that Motorola included all versions of the Moto G in its list of devices set to receive Android 5.1.1.
Aside from 2013, 2014, and 2015 Editions of the Moto G, the Lenovo-owned device maker has included the following models in the firmware upgrade roster: Moto X (1st Gen, 2nd Gen), Moto X Pro, Moto Maxx/Turbo, Moto E (1st Gen, 2nd Gen), Moto E with 4G LTE (2nd Gen), DROID Turbo, and DROID Ultra/Mini/Maxx.
Since the new Moto X Style and Moto X Play handsets have not been released to the market yet, both models will be patched with Android 5.1.1 right out of the box.
According to the company's support page, those software patches have been circulated to various carriers starting on August 10. As such, it may take several days or even a few weeks for some telecom companies to gradually distribute the fix to their Moto G subscribers after that. Meanwhile, owners of unlocked, off-contract Moto G devices purchased right from Motorola's retail stores can expect to get the update much sooner.
As soon as Android 5.1.1 Lollipop is available to a Motorola device, users should see a notification prompting them to download it and begin installation. If no alert arrives, users can occasionally check for its availability by going to Settings > About Phone > System Updates.
For Moto G owners who have yet to receive the Android 5.1.1 Lollipop upgrade, Motorola encourages them to perform pre-emptive measures to avoid StageFright by disabling their device's MMS service. They can do so by going to Messaging > Settings > then uncheck the box next to "Auto-retrieve MMS." This should also be done to other messaging applications capable of receiving MMS messages such as WhatsApp, Google Hangouts, and Handcent Next SMS.
