# What is the thing on this military-grade phone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 22, 2020, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283 "2020-05-22T11:55:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/1 "2020-05-22T11:55:16Z")
[The square hinged thing with all the cutouts](https://news.samsung.com/us/galaxy-s20-tactical-edition-next-generation-tactical-mobility-enterprise/). Some sort of device for attaching it to things? Antenna? ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/2 "2020-05-22T12:24:23Z")
That’s a docking shell, the phone itself looks very…phonelike but you insert it into the docking shell which ruggedises, hold the larger replaceable battery and has fittings to have it clamp onto a chest harness so you can operate it landscape with both hands free. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2020, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/3 "2020-05-22T13:47:27Z")
It’s an armor mount. Similar to what is shown in this video: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/g-Y-buzl_28/maxresdefault.jpg "Armor Mount") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-Y-buzl_28) ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2020, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/4 "2020-05-23T23:52:32Z")
Does that really work? I’m just thinking of all the dirt, grime, moisture, gloves, etc. I have a hard enough time just using a smartphone while biking, even with a holster… it’s hard to imagine trying to use one in the middle of a firefight. What if Android decides to update while you have a map open and are running for your life? =/ ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/5 "2020-05-24T00:00:06Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Does that really work? I’m just thinking of all the dirt, grime, moisture, gloves, etc. I have a hard enough time just using a smartphone while biking, even with a holster… it’s hard to imagine trying to use one in the middle of a firefight. What if Android decides to update while you have a map open and are running for your life? =/ I’d imagine that any update pushes would be announced long before so that everyone would have time to do them while safe. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/6 "2020-05-24T00:05:01Z")
Bixby: I found no locations for “Ohshitohshitohshitohshit” in your area. I can see with some further scrutiny that the mount has four tabs that can fit into two rows of loops sewed into military uniforms, but what about the odd sized holes? For some sort of standard mounting pegs? ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/7 "2020-05-24T00:10:04Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > I’d imagine that any update pushes would be announced long before so that everyone would have time to do them while safe. I’d sure hope so! 🙂 It’s also interesting that a Korean company making phones in Vietnam is selling them to the American military… and with their own encryption technology. Good thing South Korea is an ally, eh? It reminds me of when the DoD banned Lenovo laptops for fear of Chinese spying. > [@](#): > > Bixby: I found no locations for “Ohshitohshitohshitohshit” in your area. :eek: 😃 ---
**Author:** ![vonespy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vonespy/32/6204_2.png) [@vonespy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vonespy)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/8 "2020-05-24T21:06:22Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Does that really work? I’m just thinking of all the dirt, grime, moisture, gloves, etc. I have a hard enough time just using a smartphone while biking, even with a holster… it’s hard to imagine trying to use one in the middle of a firefight. What if Android decides to update while you have a map open and are running for your life? =/ It’s an Android device. The military just needs to buy them, store them in a warehouse for 2 years and then there’s no need to worry about pesky updates ever again! (I’m not trying to start a holy war here, just a jab at the lack of updates on Android devices. Sorry.) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/9 "2020-05-24T22:40:55Z")
I’ll take one. Yes, I need that. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/10 "2020-05-24T23:49:05Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > I’d imagine that any update pushes would be announced long before so that everyone would have time to do them while safe. I would imagine that all updates would be managed by DOD. Admittedly it has now been 5 years since I retired but that was the model for applying updates for both my laptop OS and my Blackberry. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/11 "2020-05-25T03:06:53Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I’ll take one. > Yes, I need that. Drop me a line if you figure out where to get one. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/12 "2020-05-25T04:22:07Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > I would imagine that all updates would be managed by DOD. Admittedly it has now been 5 years since I retired but that was the model for applying updates for both my laptop OS and my Blackberry. Right. That’s what I was alluding to. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/13 "2020-05-25T10:13:34Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Bixby: I found no locations for “Ohshitohshitohshitohshit” in your area. > > I can see with some further scrutiny that the mount has four tabs that can fit into two rows of loops sewed into military uniforms, but what about the odd sized holes? For some sort of standard mounting pegs? They’re just holes. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/14 "2020-05-25T17:15:43Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > They’re just holes. Are they _mil-spec_ holes? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/15 "2020-05-25T22:20:29Z")
> [@vonespy](#): > > It’s an Android device. The military just needs to buy them, store them in a warehouse for 2 years and then there’s no need to worry about pesky updates ever again! > > (I’m not trying to start a holy war here, just a jab at the lack of updates on Android devices. Sorry.) Whut? I’ve had a S9+ since January 2019 (17 months), and I’ve had probably 9-10 security updates, and a full OS update (Android 10) in that time. It’s maybe not quite the relentless monthly schedule of the Google Pixel devices, but it’s not too bad. At any rate, the military would likely never choose Apple, because then they’re locked into Apple devices forever- with Android, they could choose to have one contract to buy Samsung devices, and another could get Google, and another LG, and still keep everyone on the same version of the OS, have one version of the app, etc… But with Apple, they have to buy Apple crap, and knowing Apple, they’d probably want to stick their fingers into the app pie and “approve” the DoD apps for use on iOS or something equally absurd. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2020, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/16 "2020-05-26T01:57:32Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Whut? I’ve had a S9+ since January 2019 (17 months), and I’ve had probably 9-10 security updates, and a full OS update (Android 10) in that time. It’s maybe not quite the relentless monthly schedule of the Google Pixel devices, but it’s not too bad. > > At any rate, the military would likely never choose Apple, because then they’re locked into Apple devices forever- with Android, they could choose to have one contract to buy Samsung devices, and another could get Google, and another LG, and still keep everyone on the same version of the OS, have one version of the app, etc… > > But with Apple, they have to buy Apple crap, and knowing Apple, they’d probably want to stick their fingers into the app pie and “approve” the DoD apps for use on iOS or something equally absurd. I don’t know anything about military procurement, but… Doesn’t your experience with Samsung illustrate the risks? Android is [notoriously fragmented](https://www.appbrain.com/stats/top-android-sdk-versions), with no two vendors (or even two phones from the same vendor) on the same update schedule. If you add in vendor-specific encryption for each vendor, suddenly you have hundreds of permutations of phone hardware + Android version + Google Play services version + app version + encryption mechanism, which mean thousands of different ways for malware to take hold or bugs to slip through testing. This is the same military that couldn’t [get humvees armored quickly enough](http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4731185/ns/world_news-brave_new_world/t/frantically-army-tries-armor-humvees/), fix [F-35 software problems](https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/21/magazine/f35-joint-strike-fighter-program.html), or [move away from Windows XP](https://slate.com/technology/2018/06/why-the-military-cant-quit-windows-xp.html) even through their already-established supply chains. What chance do they have against determined cyber-attackers, when they’re working with a foreign vendor across cultural and language barriers, etc., all while trying to juggle the complex relationships between Google + Qualcomm + Samsung + themselves? Both geographically and culturally, South Korea is closer to China than the USA… just sayin’. Even if they went with a Google Pixel-like phone, Google’s own staff would probably protest and try to get Google out of the contract. At least with Apple (or Amazon, or Microsoft), most of their phones can be upgraded to the same iOS version, the chips are designed in-house, the “walled garden” approach means a severely limited number of configurations, they share the same language and culture, and the buck stops at one company. It seems to me that Android would be the RISKIEST proposition out of all of the above. That same freedom which lets consumers do what they want with their phones means it’s pretty much impossible to secure them. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2020, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/17 "2020-05-26T02:51:50Z")
I’ll bet some decent money that any phones supplied under a DoD contract are going to be very streamlined as to the amount of bloatware that comes installed. As in nothing that isn’t required for the optimum function of the phone. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2020, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-thing-on-this-military-grade-phone/854283/18 "2020-05-26T05:52:04Z")
> [@bump](#): > > At any rate, the military would likely never choose Apple, because then they’re locked into Apple devices forever- with Android, they could choose to have one contract to buy Samsung devices, and another could get Google, and another LG, and still keep everyone on the same version of the OS, have one version of the app, etc… > > But with Apple, they have to buy Apple crap, and knowing Apple, they’d probably want to stick their fingers into the app pie and “approve” the DoD apps for use on iOS or something equally absurd. From United States Northern Command [Early in the military’s COVID-19 response efforts, representatives from Apple and Esri worked with U.S. Northern Command’s military planners and healthcare providers, designing apps and solutions for government-issued smart phones and tablets, assisting deploying military personnel in synergizing complex operations. “Coordination between Apple and Northern Command was jumpstarted by a discussion of the challenges our frontline medical providers were facing, while conducting COVID-19 operations,” said O’Shaughnessy. “Together, we were able to implement technical solutions to help overcome existing and future obstacles such as privacy and security of our information.”]([https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/Press-Releases/Article/2157016/usnorthcom-works-with-tech-companies-to-fight-covid-19/](https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/Press-Releases/Article/2157016/usnorthcom-works-with-tech-companies-to-fight-covid-19/)) Some other things Google tells me the US military uses Apple hardware and software for - developing IED detection software - controlling unmanned aircraft systems - modernizing recruitment software - electronic flight bags - secure maintenance of aircraft So, so much for your hypothesis.