When you're packing stock Android, like the Essential Phone is, updates are sent fairly quickly. For example, the handset has just started to receive the January Android security patch today, not long after it was released by Google. And as we told you the other day, the January patch includes protection against the two new security issues that both iOS and Android flavored devices are receiving protection from. Those two are called Meltdown and Spectre.

When you receive the notification that the update has arrived, make sure you connect to a Wi-Fi signal before starting the process of updating the phone. At the same time, you should have the battery inside the unit charged up to 100%.

The new update is build NMJ88C, and now that it is rolling out to the Essential Phone, that is one less target for the Meltdown and Spectre flaws.