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There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use

danluu.com

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Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use

#51

Post by ajross »

thomastjeffery wrote: post #34
sizzzzlerz wrote: post #19

I've got a 7 or 8 year old Google Nexus phone. Google stopped updating the OS 5 years ago. The only impact I've noticed is that newer apps won't run on and older OS. For me, however, that really isn't a problem since I use it for making and receiving calls and texts, and checking my email. Right now, I'm in no hurry to lay out hundreds for a new phone, Apple or Android, that will be obsoleted in just a couple years w…

The problem that you don't notice is the lack of security updates.

FWIW, the linked article doesn't track security update status at all. It's graphing percentiles based on API version, which correlates only weakly. A vendor with a correctly patched but old OS would show up as "out of date", but one that missed or is late on important security updates on a recent version is "current".

Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use

#52

Post by ekianjo »

2-4-Flinching wrote: post #39
sizzzzlerz wrote: post #19

I've got a 7 or 8 year old Google Nexus phone. Google stopped updating the OS 5 years ago. The only impact I've noticed is that newer apps won't run on and older OS. For me, however, that really isn't a problem since I use it for making and receiving calls and texts, and checking my email. Right now, I'm in no hurry to lay out hundreds for a new phone, Apple or Android, that will be obsoleted in just a couple years w…

The only impact? You are a walking vulnerability. KRACK, Blueborne, just to name a few recently highly publicized vulnerabilities. You are like the perfect exploit, just waiting to get pwned. You are, Bill Harper.

Most wifi router vendors have STILL not fixed the KRACK vulnerability. Looks like most companies dont care about user security at all.

Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use

#53

Post by ekianjo »

saagarjha wrote: post #35
sizzzzlerz wrote: post #19

I've got a 7 or 8 year old Google Nexus phone. Google stopped updating the OS 5 years ago. The only impact I've noticed is that newer apps won't run on and older OS. For me, however, that really isn't a problem since I use it for making and receiving calls and texts, and checking my email. Right now, I'm in no hurry to lay out hundreds for a new phone, Apple or Android, that will be obsoleted in just a couple years w…

> I've got a 7 or 8 year old Google Nexus phone. There's probably an Android O ROM out there that someone on XDA has compiled for your device.

Hosted on a dubious server with no guarantee at all there is no malware in it.

Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use

#54

Post by dmitrygr »

ams6110 wrote: post #13
na85 wrote: post #4

Having to wait and sometimes pray for your vendor to ship an update is why I chose to stick to the Nexus line of phones until it ended. My next device may or may not be a Pixel, but the above coupled with the shitty "value adds" like custom file managers and stuff that Samsung et al tend to cram into their already bloated Android implementations pretty much guarantees I'll never by a Samsung or similar. My wife's Gal…

Would be great if Google made a phone that was affordable. As it is now your choices are spending at least $600 or more to get a phone that will be supported, or buying a phone that probably comes with an outdated Android out of the box and that will never get an update.

did you see the new AndroidOne phones? google does updates for them and they are quite affordable. The Moto one is $400-ish and Xiaomi is $200-ish

Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use

#56

Post by johnchristopher »

sizzzzlerz wrote: post #19

I've got a 7 or 8 year old Google Nexus phone. Google stopped updating the OS 5 years ago. The only impact I've noticed is that newer apps won't run on and older OS. For me, however, that really isn't a problem since I use it for making and receiving calls and texts, and checking my email. Right now, I'm in no hurry to lay out hundreds for a new phone, Apple or Android, that will be obsoleted in just a couple years w…

Why would making and receiving calls and texts and checking email not work on current devices in a couple of years ?

Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use

#57

Post by shp0ngle »

userbinator wrote: post #48

With current and older devices working perfectly well, and new devices being even less serviceable and more user-hostile with greater efforts towards planned obolescence, is it any wonder that people just aren't "upgrading" any more? I don't consider this a problem, but a sign of an ecosystem that is gaining stability. In fact I'd say it's even better, from an e-waste perspective, that the amount of churn has decreas…

Security, basically. If you care about your privacy, you should care about security (can't have one with the other). You need updated phone for that.

Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use

#58

Post by emodendroket »

userbinator wrote: post #48

With current and older devices working perfectly well, and new devices being even less serviceable and more user-hostile with greater efforts towards planned obolescence, is it any wonder that people just aren't "upgrading" any more? I don't consider this a problem, but a sign of an ecosystem that is gaining stability. In fact I'd say it's even better, from an e-waste perspective, that the amount of churn has decreas…

Yeah, but if they're not being supported anymore it's not ideal.

Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use

#59

Post by rocky1138 »

sbierwagen wrote: post #25
rocky1138 wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They aren't Google devices. They're phones made by companies who downloaded and installed Android on them.

The Nexus 6P was developed and sold directly by Google: https://www.google.com/nexus/6p/

Yes, I understand that Google do make some phones. I own one. But, the vast majority are not created by Google.

Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use

#60

Post by yegle »

dmitrygr wrote: post #54
ams6110 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would be great if Google made a phone that was affordable. As it is now your choices are spending at least $600 or more to get a phone that will be supported, or buying a phone that probably comes with an outdated Android out of the box and that will never get an update.

did you see the new AndroidOne phones? google does updates for them and they are quite affordable. The Moto one is $400-ish and Xiaomi is $200-ish

The Moto X4 sell at $400 and the Xiaomi A1 is not available in US yet (you can get it ~$220 on some website).

Note Xiaomi A1's system update is not handled by Google according to Wiki.

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