The lack of updates on Android is not really a big deal a

[pika2000]

Few years back, it is very easy to justify upgrading to a newer phone. Most phones only come with 16GB of storage and 1 or 2GB of RAM. You ran out of storage, phone feels slower, you get a newer phone. The lack of updates on Android is not really a big deal as most people would've upgraded within the second or third year.

But now devices with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage at the minimum is a dime a dozen. An SD450 can handle most tasks perfectly fine (even Samsung is selling mid-rangers with SD450 inside). Majority of people won't outlive their phones, so they would be holding on their phones longer. But we know how OEMs don't bother with even security patches.

In the next 5 years or so, it will be scary to see how many old unpatched devices will be on the market. Even Google only promised 3 years for their Pixel line. Majority of devices won't see any updates beyond their first year from their launch date. Yet these devices are getting more and more powerful and the hardware is enough for the lifetime of many.

It is kinda sad. Imagine if Microsoft does the same with Windows, and any PCs older than 2 years are not getting patched. Are we waiting for a disaster to happen?

 

[sracer]

Few years back, it is very easy to justify upgrading to a newer phone. Most phones only come with 16GB of storage and 1 or 2GB of RAM. You ran out of storage, phone feels slower, you get a newer phone. The lack of updates on Android is not really a big deal as most people would've upgraded within the second or third year.

But now devices with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage at the minimum is a dime a dozen. An SD450 can handle most tasks perfectly fine (even Samsung is selling mid-rangers with SD450 inside). Majority of people won't outlive their phones, so they would be holding on their phones longer. But we know how OEMs don't bother with even security patches.

In the next 5 years or so, it will be scary to see how many old unpatched devices will be on the market. Even Google only promised 3 years for their Pixel line. Majority of devices won't see any updates beyond their first year from their launch date. Yet these devices are getting more and more powerful and the hardware is enough for the lifetime of many.

It is kinda sad. Imagine if Microsoft does the same with Windows, and any PCs older than 2 years are not getting patched. Are we waiting for a disaster to happen?

"Security" is the perennial boogyman the gets the uninformed to prematurely upgrade their devices.

Having security holes is one thing, how easy and how often those holes can be exploited are another. What security problems have people actually had on their phones?

 

[pika2000]

"Security" is the perennial boogyman the gets the uninformed to prematurely upgrade their devices.

Having security holes is one thing, how easy and how often those holes can be exploited are another. What security problems have people actually had on their phones?

So unpatched phones in the years to come is not a problem to you.

Thus why Google even bother publishing security patches? And why should you even patch your PCs as well? It’s just a boogeyman right?

 

[boomer11]

its been a disaster waiting to happen for 10+ years ever since android was created. no doubt security is important but a lot of it sounds like fear mongering than reality. usually android phones 4+ years old do not get new operating systems so their security stays unchanged to new exploits. do you remember what big hacks have happened and how it affected users? genuinely curious.

 

[jamezr]

"Security" is the perennial boogyman the gets the uninformed to prematurely upgrade their devices.

Having security holes is one thing, how easy and how often those holes can be exploited are another. What security problems have people actually had on their phones?

That is the thing.....Most hear the buzz words like Security and exploits and unpatched. But have no idea what those mean or have to do with the subject at hand. They have no context and have no idea what it all means. They just use those terms to justify their own device or platform choices.

 

[sunking101]

Lousy old batteries necessitate most people upgrading and the sort of people who are happy with a 4 year old midrange phone with a knackered old battery aren't heavy online banking users. They'll use their phones for SMS/calls/FB and save the rest for their home computers.

 

[sracer]

So unpatched phones in the years to come is not a problem to you.

Correct. Unpatched phones are not a problem for me. I've been using smartphones for nearly 18 years and haven't had any of my data stolen even though I do a lot of commerce online using my phones.

Thus why Google even bother publishing security patches? And why should you even patch your PCs as well? It’s just a boogeyman right?

That's a strawman that avoids answering my question, "What security problems have people actually had on their phones?"

Patching security holes is an important thing to do. That is why Google does it. But this Henny Penny "the sky is falling" approach to security is not warranted.

 

[Altis]

That is the thing.....Most hear the buzz words like Security and exploits and unpatched. But have no idea what those mean or have to do with the subject at hand. They have no context and have no idea what it all means. They just use those terms to justify their own device or platform choices.

Yep. It's the idea that software becomes riddled with security bugs the moment it isn't the latest (as if new software doesn't frequently introduce newer and often worse security issues).

It's the same mentality that leads people to think that a device must become slow after a few years. I mean, after all, it's a few years old! Never mind that the software has barely changed, so there isn't much reason for it to run so poorly, especially doing the things it always did.

 

[Caspavio]

it really depends on the users. if you are savvy enough, you could technically survive without an anti-virus on windows pc, but there are people who get their computers full of malware despite having anti-virus. So for the majority, having unpatched phones is not a problem. but for some, especially if you download funny stuff or apps, then it could become a problem. it wont be a disaster, but it will be disastrous to that person with data stolen.