3 ms·

My theory is that people are keeping devices longer; which leads to being stuck on an old release.

blue_devil 7y ago
That is the point though - fragmentation on Android. Keeping an old device should not mean you get "stuck" with an old OS - I have the latest OS on my 2013 Macbook.
- whalabi 7y ago
  A quick aside - don't buy an android TV unless you want to run a tv with very quickly outdated software. I think I got 2 years of updates on my TV, and it's not like I'm going to want to throw it out and get a new one, so I have to put up with outdated software.
AdrianB1 7y ago
Not by their choice and this is the main problem. I have about 10 Android phones and tablets in the house, a single Apple device and I can keep the Apple device current, but I cannot choose to do the same for Android, the manufacturers do.
- opan 7y ago
  Not even with LineageOS? I've got a OnePlus 2 and OnePlus 3 I'm still keeping updated thanks to custom ROM support. Similarly my router can still get new software thanks to OpenWRT. I would not want to rely on a company to keep my stuff up to date.
  - AdrianB1 7y ago
    I used CyanogenMod (LinesgeOS) in the past on older phones, but it is not for the average use to download, install and configure all the bits and pieces needed for this. The support for the phones is also very limited, half of the phones in my house are not supported (and they are manufactured by Asus, not by a very small manufacturer).
  - anoncake 7y ago
    Using LineageOS and other custom ROMs isn't straightforward even for technical people. And Google is actively making the experience worse in the name of "security". Installing a custom ROM introduces an artificial delay while your phone displays a FUD screen telling you that your phone can't be trusted. They are not lying, of course. A well-known advertising company known for its engine[1] has installed a rootkit on it. Of course, this warning is about rootkits Google doesn't trust (either). If security was the objective, Google could easily improve it without compromising freedom. Let people choose who they trust.[2] Encrypt the OS so attackers can't modify it. Or not telling attackers that there's an unlocked backdoor they can use. [1] Missing: <s>search<s/> [2] Technically, Android supports enrolling your own key. But that's optional for device makers and I haven't found any useful documentation. You also still get a warning on boot, this one is yellow. [3] Replacing it is easy to detect unless you somehow manage to replicate the phone state as it was. Part of that state could even be a kind of reverse password that the phone uses to authenticate itself to it's owner.

That is the point though - fragmentation on Android. Keeping an old device should not mean you get "stuck" with an old OS - I have the latest OS on my 2013 Macbook.

whalabi 7y ago
A quick aside - don't buy an android TV unless you want to run a tv with very quickly outdated software. I think I got 2 years of updates on my TV, and it's not like I'm going to want to throw it out and get a new one, so I have to put up with outdated software.

AdrianB1 7y ago

Not by their choice and this is the main problem. I have about 10 Android phones and tablets in the house, a single Apple device and I can keep the Apple device current, but I cannot choose to do the same for Android, the manufacturers do.

opan 7y ago
Not even with LineageOS? I've got a OnePlus 2 and OnePlus 3 I'm still keeping updated thanks to custom ROM support. Similarly my router can still get new software thanks to OpenWRT. I would not want to rely on a company to keep my stuff up to date.
- AdrianB1 7y ago
  I used CyanogenMod (LinesgeOS) in the past on older phones, but it is not for the average use to download, install and configure all the bits and pieces needed for this. The support for the phones is also very limited, half of the phones in my house are not supported (and they are manufactured by Asus, not by a very small manufacturer).
- anoncake 7y ago
  Using LineageOS and other custom ROMs isn't straightforward even for technical people. And Google is actively making the experience worse in the name of "security". Installing a custom ROM introduces an artificial delay while your phone displays a FUD screen telling you that your phone can't be trusted. They are not lying, of course. A well-known advertising company known for its engine[1] has installed a rootkit on it. Of course, this warning is about rootkits Google doesn't trust (either). If security was the objective, Google could easily improve it without compromising freedom. Let people choose who they trust.[2] Encrypt the OS so attackers can't modify it. Or not telling attackers that there's an unlocked backdoor they can use. [1] Missing: <s>search<s/> [2] Technically, Android supports enrolling your own key. But that's optional for device makers and I haven't found any useful documentation. You also still get a warning on boot, this one is yellow. [3] Replacing it is easy to detect unless you somehow manage to replicate the phone state as it was. Part of that state could even be a kind of reverse password that the phone uses to authenticate itself to it's owner.