this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2024
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Android

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Article refrains from drawing conclusions, instead presenting the data. Android is doing better at moving users to newer versions, but the overwhelming majority of users don't have the current Android OS version nor the previous version, combined.

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[–] nossaquesapao@lemmy.eco.br 98 points 11 months ago (3 children)

That's what you get when you require users to get a new device in order to run newer software. I would gladly run the newest version, if I could just update my os, but since I can't, I will be running this old version for as long as I have to...

[–] RvTV95XBeo@sh.itjust.works 27 points 11 months ago (3 children)

The issue is how hardware manufacturers treat Android. Most 3rd party manufacturers take months if not years to update their under the hood BS to the latest Android, and they end support after 2 years. All the more reason to go with Pixel devices.

[–] 50MYT@aussie.zone 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Also carriers they often take forever to update too

[–] isVeryLoud@lemmy.ca 2 points 11 months ago

Here in Canada, carrier updates are a thing of 10 years ago

[–] Kazumara@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 11 months ago

I wish Google could force them to upstream their device drivers into Linux mainline they you wouldn't need their shitty OEM kernels

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[–] kate@lemmy.uhhoh.com 4 points 11 months ago

Meanwhile my 2018 model iPhone is running the newest iOS 18 beta... As much as I love android it seems like to get the best software support you pretty much have to be buying a pixel (or installing custom ROMs)

[–] SomeGuy69@lemmy.world 26 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (3 children)

I'm still on android 12 (galaxy S10 from 2019). Why replace an OLED premium phone that's still lasting me all day with its battery with 6+ hours screen time and no scratches? And I don't even use battery protection options. Only a few months ago I had to enable battery saving mode, which I didn't use before at all.

[–] NIB@lemmy.world 21 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (5 children)

If your phone has stopped getting security updates, then that is a big issue. Even if the phone is working fine. People are using their phones for banking, paying stuff, email, saving personal photos, etc. You dont want people hacking into your phone and an unpatched phone is an insecure phone.

Which is why samsung/google(and apple before them), have started offering 7 years of OS support. Modern phone hardware, especially flagship tier one, can last for a long time. Other than the battery degrading, the rest of the phone is still powerful enough for everything.

[–] SomeGuy69@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Hey you guys are not wrong. I just can't convince myself to buy a new 800 bucks phone for no real reason other than security updates. My ISP phone contract is just 5 bucks a month.

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[–] henfredemars@infosec.pub 16 points 11 months ago

There is no reason. Android 12 is not that different from 15 IMHO because the number and depth of the changes has dropped off significantly in resent years. Android is a mature OS that does what most users want it to do.

[–] smeeps@lemmy.mtate.me.uk 12 points 11 months ago (2 children)

As time goes on you'll be exposed to more and more security vulnerabilities with no patches.

Nothing wrong with running an old phone but you should unlock it and put Lineage OS on or similar.

[–] SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 16 points 11 months ago (4 children)

Yea fun thing about Samsung, they fucking hate you, they fucking hate me, their customers and anyone trying to get near their bootloader.

-Sent from Galaxy S23U

[–] Spider89@lemm.ee 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)
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[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

They should only be able to choose one of "lock device down against any low level changes" and "stop supporting device". If they want to end support (which was frankly not so great in the first place), they should be forced to open up the device.

[–] SynopsisTantilize@lemm.ee 2 points 11 months ago

It should come with an unlocked boot loader and you should have to pay extra to keep it locked.

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[–] SomeGuy69@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Then my banking app would stop working, it doesn't work on rooted phones.

[–] smeeps@lemmy.mtate.me.uk 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This is tricky. Luckily mine works on custom ROMs so I've not had to fool safetynet for a while.

Does it still trip if you install a custom ROM and relock the bootloader, without rooting? I know there used to be packages to hide you had root and keep safetynet

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[–] killingspark@feddit.org 22 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Tell Nokia to release android 13 or 14 for my device and I'll gladly run it.

[–] MudMan@fedia.io 13 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, unlike Windows this isn't a user choice. It comes down to manufacturer support. I don't know what you do to make this better, especially in the context of newer Android updates being lighter on major user-facing features.

[–] killingspark@feddit.org 4 points 11 months ago (1 children)

I'm also unclear on the exact technical details but there's probably a reason that lineageos and the other free androids out there are not easily installable but have to be customised to each device.

I'm pretty sure that reason is mostly manufacturers being dicks about this. So it could probably be fixed by mandating some kind of interoperability. OTOH the governments are probably happy that not more people are using degoogled devices

[–] MudMan@fedia.io 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Whose mandate? Are you going to make a law saying you can't customize Google's base Android?

It's an open source OS, manufacturers offer crappy support because they want customizations and proprietary software but don't want to have to spend a bunch of engineering time to keep pace with Google's reference spec. Samsung does, but that's because they're the literal largest phone manufacturer on the planet.

But Google can't be out there saying you don't get to use Android code if you don't offer timely support for a decade. There's a reason years of security updates are now a declared selling point, the only force to drive it is market pressure. At most you could regulate that you HAVE to support swapping OSs on phones, but you can't just target that at Android and not Apple, and Apple would buy themselves a nuke to fight against that one.

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[–] kirk781@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What Android version did your phone come with? I have a Nokia G20 that I use as a spare phone. It shipped with Android 11 and updated till 13.

[–] killingspark@feddit.org 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I believe it shipped with 10 and I'm currently sitting on 12. Last security updates are from December 2023 so I'll probably have to switch sooner than later...

It's a Nokia 5.4

[–] kirk781@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 11 months ago (2 children)

HMD is now retiring Nokia branding for its own series of smartphones. They are launching the Crest lineup which, while in the same price range as the 5.4 or G20, doesn't offer any claimed Android upgrades.

The worst OEM I encountered was a company called Techno. Fantastic hardware for the price, but they delivered not a single Android upgrade, only security updates. Ironically, they even make foldables which are obviously much more expensive. I won't be surprised though if even they received Aryabhatta's number of upgrades.

[–] limerod@reddthat.com 2 points 11 months ago

Techno makes smartphones which have good hardware specs, marred by bad software support. For the equivalent Samsung or Nothing phone you would be paying a higher price.

I won't be surprised though if even they received Aryabhatta's number of upgrades.

Lol, I had to google just to make sure it meant zero.

[–] killingspark@feddit.org 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Well I guess it's time to go Fairphone then. It's way more expensive than I'd like but honestly I'm so done replacing my phone because of software issues and not because the hardware wasn't serviceable anymore

[–] kirk781@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 11 months ago

I was more intrigued with their earbuds, called Fairbuds. It has user replaceable batteries for both individual buds and the case. While people may ultimately get one or the other reason to upgrade their phone ultimately, most folks just chuck out their wireless earphones because the charging capacity has been seriously reduced.

[–] averyminya@beehaw.org 5 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Okay, can these percentages be aligned to the number of Android devices in active use that support the OS?

Because I would hazard a guess that some 70% of people do not have an android phone that even supports updating to the new OS.

[–] tea@lemmy.today 3 points 11 months ago

I think that's the point of what these statistics mean. This is an indictment on manufacturers not pushing the latest OS updates more than people not accepting the latest OS updates when they're available.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 1 points 11 months ago

Just wait until they find out about windows 10

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