Earlier quoted context omitted.
Backup, wipe, and reinstall.
In some cases it doesn't help. E.g. iOS 7 update for iPad2, iPhone 4/4S etc.
iOS 7 was pretty rough on anything slower than an iPhone 5
There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use
291–300 of 474 posts
Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use
#292Earlier quoted context omitted.
Making it easier for users to run software with unpatched vulnerabilities, even accounting for some extra slowness, isn’t a good thing..
Then manufacturers should fix that problem. The reason people don't like security updates, is that they are tied to feature updates. Most people don't like the new feature updates, and would happily take just the security updates. If users were given that option, I'm betting that a lot of the push-back to updates would drop fast.
I bet most people find digital security too abstract to understand why it’s important, and not bother with updates that didn’t include shiny new features.
Also, Generic Phones Inc. don’t see any money in pushing out pure security features — only big players get that benefit, because it’s a type of quality thats a tragedy of the commons thing.
I’d change the laws by international treaty to require security patches for all devices for whatever the 2σ lifetime is. If the manufacturers don’t want to do it themselves, then an open source requirements and a sales tax to fund hiring developers to fix it.
Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use
#293My ye olde Samsung Galaxy S4 mini is better software supported at lineageos.org than Google or Samsung ever did. LineageOS even plan to support Anroid 8 on it!
It's better hardware supported at aliexpress.com than any other phone shop.
In its very small lifespan it has become the most modifyable hackable smartphone i've ever owned. :)
Sadly this is the only way to succesfully update my outdated Anroid device. :(
Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use
#294Earlier quoted context omitted.
Better have a bricked phone but secured phone? That is basically your argument? Security is used to euthanize perfectly working systems and harass users for money. Security has become dangerous for the user in that aspect.
That's one reason I'm still hoping for a Linux/Firefox phone.
There's not much left to hope for as every platform that attempted one has fizzled out.
Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use
#295I think Google, Apple, Samsung et.al should be upfront on when they plan to end of life (EOL) their devices. Many devices now a day is SaaS with a upfront cost. So divide the cost of the phone with how long it will be supported, then you'll get the monthly cost. Guys! We need a fully open source smart-phone that can be community supported forever! Why isn't there on yet ?
> I think Google, Apple, Samsung et.al should be upfront on when they plan to end of life (EOL) their devices.
iOS 11 (released in 2017) is compatible with these devices [1]:
- iPhone 5s (released on September 20, 2013)
- iPad mini 2 (released on November 12, 2013)
- iPod touch 6th generation (released on July 15, 2015)
Apple doesn't have to be upfront. Apple users know that the support lasts for years (iOS 10 was released in 2016 and oldest supported device was from 2012, iOS 9: 2015 and 2011, previous versions would usually support three-year old devices).
Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use
#296Earlier quoted context omitted.
Now waitasec... I own Crappy unupdated Android one of. And the drivers use the Linux kernel. Last I checked, they need to release source for their drivers. So where is it? And why can't we upstream those patches and "fix" android?
Maybe they pull the stuff Nvidia does: write an interface kernel module, then have the driver itself in a library that the module loads. Since the actual driver is never part of the kernel tree...
It's much simpler.
The OEM never releases the source.
And courts have decided that it's not enough if you have some contributions to the kernel yourself or are a user to force them to release it, you have to have made significant contributions to force them to release it via the courts.
And Torvalds and the major kernel maintainers all refuse to enforce the GPL, and actively campaign against doing so.
Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use
#297I often get sympathetic comments for being an Android developer because of this. It's honestly not that bad. Android provides backwards compatible support libraries for whatever SDK you're supporting, and was designed from the beginning to handle diverse screen sizes and hardware. By far a bigger problem is manufacturers shipping their own version of Android that is sometimes incompatible with the SDK. I've had to im…
The problem with outdated versions is not app compatibility, but security updates. If a zero-day were released, most of these devices would never receive an update fix the issue. Worst case scenario: An Android zero day that can be spread via WiFi or Bluetooth that infects devices in a cryptolocker style. The more versions it can affect, the better. Shoot. Probably shouldn’t give people ideas, especially when I have…
That "worst case scenario" isn't that hard to achieve. But maybe the only thing stopping something like that from happening is, ironically, the OEM fragmentation which screws up a lot of code related to gaining root or lock screens and similar.
Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use
#298Does this seem like a trend that goes beyond just tech products? Clothes, appliances, furniture (with fiberboard) all seem to have lower longevity today, whether it's from lacking updates/service or just lacking durability.
> all seem to have lower longevity today
And they cost significantly less than in the golden days of yesteryear or whatever passes for the mythical past these days.
Re: There are over a billion outdated Android devices in use
#299Earlier quoted context omitted.
I understand this entirely, but there are some pretty bad iOS vulnerabilities out in the wild now (e.g. KRACK wpa2). It’s pretty dangerous to avoid updates nowadays. I think what needs to happen across the industry is a complete decoupling of “feature” from security patching. Too many people are exposed because of exactly the kind of unwanted UI upgrades you describe.
Better have a bricked phone but secured phone? That is basically your argument? Security is used to euthanize perfectly working systems and harass users for money. Security has become dangerous for the user in that aspect.
> Security is used to euthanize perfectly working systems and harass users for money
That's a cynical and paranoid mindset. Bloat is a lazy tendency not a malicious evil and developers tend to optimise for the latest and greatest if left unchecked and forced to consider backwards compatibility.
> Better have a bricked phone but secured phone?
lets just say don't do any financial transactions on the device or appreciate the general openness of your phone to malicious actors who might use it for nefarious purposes.