5 ms·

and literally any 10 year old android phone can run not just the latest security patches but even the latest android. you are taking the iphone limitation of 'o

and literally any 10 year old android phone can run not just the latest security patches but even the latest android. you are taking the iphone limitation of 'os must be from hardware manufacturer' and for some reason applying it to android phones. my 10 year old motorola nexus is running android 10 -which is the current version. you install the new os on android by downloading an app, which installs the new os on reboot. it takes 15 minutes, and gramma can do it. next you'll tell me mac laptops are better because you can't put windows 10 on your old hp laptop, because hp's system image for it only goes to windows 7.

whynotminot 6y ago
Lol who's your gramma?
easton 6y ago
Dang, I wish my grandma was a AOSP contributor. But most phones in the United States sold within the last decade had the bootloaders locked so you can’t install another rom even if you knew how to do it.
- dongvsascript 6y ago
  this is simply false. very few phones have actually 'locked' bootloaders. as in, can't go into settings and uncheck 'locked' checkbox to unlock it. when they do, you can easily unlock it -usually by simply asking your service provider or the manufacturer. and the ones you can't -yes, you have to hack it with a usb cable and a computer. for like .05% of phones. and google's phones are not ever locked in any way, being the proper comparison, since you're comparing phones to apple. what we have here with the op is trump voter logic, so he can feel better about himself by creating a fake reality where he is king. 'mr trump, i'm saying death as %of population, not tested cases.' - 'well, you can't do that.' i got an old android, i'm gonna put the latest os on it. 'well, you can't do that.' no mr apple. you are the one who can't do that.
  - fuzxi 6y ago
    HN is not for politics, and especially not for political shit-flinging.
    - dongvsascript 6y ago
      ah, a random guy who says we can't take a phone dispute and compare it to an existing political dispute. thanks for your on-topic comment, you really improved a conversation about phones. you, literally:"you are taking deaths as a percent of population. you can't do that" i just did. twice.
      - fuzxi 6y ago
        What a selfish way of looking at things. The site guidelines [1] exist for a reason, one of those reasons being that most HN users don't open the comments of an article about a few severe Qualcomm CVEs to read comments randomly laced with "orange man bad". [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
        shut_up_cunt 6y ago
        See username, you weirdo Trump fan.
        dongvsascript 6y ago
        but they do open them, and see a comparison between trump voter delusions and apple fanboy delusions. making that comparison is not discussing politics. now if you want to pretend trumpers are smart people not made fun of on every corner of popular culture, my comparison would be invalid. this would however mean you yourself are delusional, making the comparison valid. what we don't want to see is endless discussions about the discussion itself. because it's offtopic spam. if you want to discuss how we discuss things, open a separate post about it, and don't do it in a thread about phone cpus.
  - limomium 6y ago
    Could you link me an online resource detailing that process? I've been wanting to put the accumulation of old phones to use.
- szatkus 6y ago
  Is it USA thing or something more common? Seems like technical people around me change firmware with no problem. I only heard that some phones have limits, after which you can't reflash a firmware.
  - wlesieutre 6y ago
    Z3 Compact was my personal experience with Android devices, I’ve since bailed back to iPhones: https://www.androidpolice.com/2014/10/02/unlocking-the-bootloader-on-sonys-xperia-z3-and-z3-compact-causes-poor-low-light-camera-performance-thanks-to-drm/ https://www.androidpolice.com/2014/10/02/unlocking-the-bootl... > When the bootloader is unlocked, the device loses certain DRM security keys. That means you can't purchase content from Sony's storefronts and a few licensed features won't work, but it apparently also means basic features of the phone are negatively affected. A Sony rep has confirmed that some advanced camera algorithms on the new generation of devices like the Z3 and Z3 Compact are protected by DRM. If you unlock the phone, those features stop working. Apparently that causes photos in low-light to be noisier and poorly balanced. > This isn't the first time Sony's bootloader unlock has come with some major drawbacks—unlocking past devices could actually break camera functionality (this was technically a bug). There have always been a few proprietary features that stop working, but the difference in image quality this time is allegedly noticeable. > Update: Sony has updated the text of the bootloader unlock warning on its website to be clear about the camera impact. It reads, "...the removal of DRM security keys may affect advanced camera functionality. For example, noise reduction algorithms might be removed, and performance when taking photos in low-light conditions might be affected."
    - fomine3 6y ago
      IMO, Unlockable but lost some features is somewhat reasonable restriction. Things like if you install Ubuntu you can't use Windows Explorer.
ViViDboarder 6y ago
Sure, installing the updates may be simple, but getting the OS installed in the first place is not quite as simple. Also, many Android devices don’t even have unlockable bootloaders. This makes your first statement patently false. There is no way for me to install any updates to my abandoned Acer tablet as the bootloader is locked and the device is abandoned. It may be true to say “many Android devices can be updated through community projects” but you’re glossing over a lot of complexity. I
- post_below 6y ago
  I rarely root devices but I have yet to own an Android device that couldn't (eventually) be rooted using a community tool. This is anecdotal, there must be exceptions, but in my experience "locked bootloader" just means it might be a while before someone finds an exploit. Easy enough for grandma, maybe not so much.
  - judge2020 6y ago
    > Easy enough for grandma, maybe not so much. This is pretty important when we're taking about a billion devices. The amount of people who do this is irrelevant and thus 99% or more of these users will be vulnerable until their phone stops working or the Facebook app no longer supports such an old version, forcing them to get a new one [assuming new Snapdragon chips fix the issue].
    - post_below 6y ago
      Right I never suggested otherwise, just clearing up the misconception that a locked bootloader automatically means the phone's OS can't be updated.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
    How do you keep a straight face and say something like “security updates are possible as soon as someone discovers an exploit”? Deary me.
    - 6y ago
yelloworangefog 6y ago
I think you're massively exaggerating the stability of running unsupported versions of Android on old devices. > and literally any 10 year old android phone can run not just the latest security patches but even the latest android. Not in my experience. Some models work decently, others have major stability issues.
- dongvsascript 6y ago
  so pick a rom that's common and well supported and popular for your phone model. i'm guessing your experience includes zero reading about what rom is best for what phone, before you put it on. kinda like buying a 2 star rated tv on amazon. oh look, i googled 'best custom rom for nexus 6' and every result has good roms.
  - yelloworangefog 6y ago
    I think you're being needlessly confrontational and defensive. There's no need to make personal accusations about my ability to do research.
mrgordon 6y ago
Google bricked my Android phone many years ago by deactivating the auth server used for logging into the phone with your Google account. The phone didn’t support Cyanogen so I literally just had to stop using it purely due to Google deciding it was time to kill it. So don’t give me this nonsense that Android phones live forever.
- dongvsascript 6y ago
  hmm. google didn't brick mine. i don't have a google account, or any google services on my phone. that's like saying microsoft bricked your windows laptop, so don't buy laptops with linux or bsd. cyanogen? there are a hundred other builds. google your phone model and custom rom. they don't live forever but they do live over 10 years on the latest android. which beats apple and their security patches any day.
  - mrgordon 6y ago
    Google hasn’t bricked your phone (yet) and they bricked mine so you expect me to be excited? You said any old Android phone could run the newest stuff but it’s a lie. I can still use my original iPhone other than it being slow but I literally cannot use my HTC phone that Google deactivated the auth server for. There is no “update to the newest Android” because the hardware is “too old” for modern Android and they cut the phone off from upgrades. Which is fine, except they also cut off the DNS for the “login to Android” feature so it’s bricked. It would have been a great travel phone still as it had been for many years, but Google got greedy. There was no cyanogen or other alternative supported. It’s not a matter of googling more. They didn’t support the phone model.

whynotminot 6y ago

Lol who's your gramma?

easton 6y ago

Dang, I wish my grandma was a AOSP contributor. But most phones in the United States sold within the last decade had the bootloaders locked so you can’t install another rom even if you knew how to do it.

dongvsascript 6y ago
this is simply false. very few phones have actually 'locked' bootloaders. as in, can't go into settings and uncheck 'locked' checkbox to unlock it. when they do, you can easily unlock it -usually by simply asking your service provider or the manufacturer. and the ones you can't -yes, you have to hack it with a usb cable and a computer. for like .05% of phones. and google's phones are not ever locked in any way, being the proper comparison, since you're comparing phones to apple. what we have here with the op is trump voter logic, so he can feel better about himself by creating a fake reality where he is king. 'mr trump, i'm saying death as %of population, not tested cases.' - 'well, you can't do that.' i got an old android, i'm gonna put the latest os on it. 'well, you can't do that.' no mr apple. you are the one who can't do that.
- fuzxi 6y ago
  HN is not for politics, and especially not for political shit-flinging.
  - dongvsascript 6y ago
    ah, a random guy who says we can't take a phone dispute and compare it to an existing political dispute. thanks for your on-topic comment, you really improved a conversation about phones. you, literally:"you are taking deaths as a percent of population. you can't do that" i just did. twice.
    - fuzxi 6y ago
      What a selfish way of looking at things. The site guidelines [1] exist for a reason, one of those reasons being that most HN users don't open the comments of an article about a few severe Qualcomm CVEs to read comments randomly laced with "orange man bad". [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
      - shut_up_cunt 6y ago
        See username, you weirdo Trump fan.
      - dongvsascript 6y ago
        but they do open them, and see a comparison between trump voter delusions and apple fanboy delusions. making that comparison is not discussing politics. now if you want to pretend trumpers are smart people not made fun of on every corner of popular culture, my comparison would be invalid. this would however mean you yourself are delusional, making the comparison valid. what we don't want to see is endless discussions about the discussion itself. because it's offtopic spam. if you want to discuss how we discuss things, open a separate post about it, and don't do it in a thread about phone cpus.
- limomium 6y ago
  Could you link me an online resource detailing that process? I've been wanting to put the accumulation of old phones to use.
szatkus 6y ago
Is it USA thing or something more common? Seems like technical people around me change firmware with no problem. I only heard that some phones have limits, after which you can't reflash a firmware.
- wlesieutre 6y ago
  Z3 Compact was my personal experience with Android devices, I’ve since bailed back to iPhones: https://www.androidpolice.com/2014/10/02/unlocking-the-bootloader-on-sonys-xperia-z3-and-z3-compact-causes-poor-low-light-camera-performance-thanks-to-drm/ https://www.androidpolice.com/2014/10/02/unlocking-the-bootl... > When the bootloader is unlocked, the device loses certain DRM security keys. That means you can't purchase content from Sony's storefronts and a few licensed features won't work, but it apparently also means basic features of the phone are negatively affected. A Sony rep has confirmed that some advanced camera algorithms on the new generation of devices like the Z3 and Z3 Compact are protected by DRM. If you unlock the phone, those features stop working. Apparently that causes photos in low-light to be noisier and poorly balanced. > This isn't the first time Sony's bootloader unlock has come with some major drawbacks—unlocking past devices could actually break camera functionality (this was technically a bug). There have always been a few proprietary features that stop working, but the difference in image quality this time is allegedly noticeable. > Update: Sony has updated the text of the bootloader unlock warning on its website to be clear about the camera impact. It reads, "...the removal of DRM security keys may affect advanced camera functionality. For example, noise reduction algorithms might be removed, and performance when taking photos in low-light conditions might be affected."
  - fomine3 6y ago
    IMO, Unlockable but lost some features is somewhat reasonable restriction. Things like if you install Ubuntu you can't use Windows Explorer.

ViViDboarder 6y ago

Sure, installing the updates may be simple, but getting the OS installed in the first place is not quite as simple. Also, many Android devices don’t even have unlockable bootloaders. This makes your first statement patently false. There is no way for me to install any updates to my abandoned Acer tablet as the bootloader is locked and the device is abandoned. It may be true to say “many Android devices can be updated through community projects” but you’re glossing over a lot of complexity. I

post_below 6y ago
I rarely root devices but I have yet to own an Android device that couldn't (eventually) be rooted using a community tool. This is anecdotal, there must be exceptions, but in my experience "locked bootloader" just means it might be a while before someone finds an exploit. Easy enough for grandma, maybe not so much.
- judge2020 6y ago
  > Easy enough for grandma, maybe not so much. This is pretty important when we're taking about a billion devices. The amount of people who do this is irrelevant and thus 99% or more of these users will be vulnerable until their phone stops working or the Facebook app no longer supports such an old version, forcing them to get a new one [assuming new Snapdragon chips fix the issue].
  - post_below 6y ago
    Right I never suggested otherwise, just clearing up the misconception that a locked bootloader automatically means the phone's OS can't be updated.
- TheSpiceIsLife 6y ago
  How do you keep a straight face and say something like “security updates are possible as soon as someone discovers an exploit”? Deary me.
  - 6y ago

yelloworangefog 6y ago

I think you're massively exaggerating the stability of running unsupported versions of Android on old devices. > and literally any 10 year old android phone can run not just the latest security patches but even the latest android. Not in my experience. Some models work decently, others have major stability issues.

dongvsascript 6y ago
so pick a rom that's common and well supported and popular for your phone model. i'm guessing your experience includes zero reading about what rom is best for what phone, before you put it on. kinda like buying a 2 star rated tv on amazon. oh look, i googled 'best custom rom for nexus 6' and every result has good roms.
- yelloworangefog 6y ago
  I think you're being needlessly confrontational and defensive. There's no need to make personal accusations about my ability to do research.

mrgordon 6y ago

Google bricked my Android phone many years ago by deactivating the auth server used for logging into the phone with your Google account. The phone didn’t support Cyanogen so I literally just had to stop using it purely due to Google deciding it was time to kill it. So don’t give me this nonsense that Android phones live forever.

dongvsascript 6y ago
hmm. google didn't brick mine. i don't have a google account, or any google services on my phone. that's like saying microsoft bricked your windows laptop, so don't buy laptops with linux or bsd. cyanogen? there are a hundred other builds. google your phone model and custom rom. they don't live forever but they do live over 10 years on the latest android. which beats apple and their security patches any day.
- mrgordon 6y ago
  Google hasn’t bricked your phone (yet) and they bricked mine so you expect me to be excited? You said any old Android phone could run the newest stuff but it’s a lie. I can still use my original iPhone other than it being slow but I literally cannot use my HTC phone that Google deactivated the auth server for. There is no “update to the newest Android” because the hardware is “too old” for modern Android and they cut the phone off from upgrades. Which is fine, except they also cut off the DNS for the “login to Android” feature so it’s bricked. It would have been a great travel phone still as it had been for many years, but Google got greedy. There was no cyanogen or other alternative supported. It’s not a matter of googling more. They didn’t support the phone model.