More than 4 years of Android updates for the Google Pixel 8!

[Arokhantos]

On 8/31/2023 at 8:17 PM, RONOTHAN## said:

As someone who just bought a Pixel 7 due to all the sales, I really hope they carry back this policy to their older phones. 

 

lol if they won't i will switch another brand just cos they did not, i would assume it aplies to older phones as well.

[LAwLz]

6 hours ago, Arokhantos said:

lol if they won't i will switch another brand just cos they did not, i would assume it aplies to older phones as well.

It will depend on which phone you have. The article only mentions the Pixel 8 will get a better OS update promise, so we will have to wait and see if that applies to for example the Pixel 7 or not.

 

My guess is that it will apply to all phones with Tensor processors if they decide to extend the update period. If that's correct, then it will apply to Pixel 6 and later.

[jagdtigger]

On 9/4/2023 at 12:30 PM, WolframaticAlpha said:

I have seen older iphones way more than older Androids, however that may also have to do with the fact that in my country apple is kind of a status symbol and people buy crappy old iphones instead of buying Androids that would work significantly better.

I always found this phenomenon to be very amusing, ppl torturing themsleves just to be in to cool kids club.....  

[WolframaticAlpha]

20 hours ago, Kisai said:

5G NR

Pro tip: don't upgrade because of 5G. It is so incredibly mediocre that I can't believe I fell for the meme. It is really nice when it works, but my WhatsApp messages go as fast on 4G/LTE as on 5G and video streaming and web browsing is just so marginally better, not to mention how my phone is still on 4G most of the time. I was in the US last year and expected that 5G. adoption would be greater but it still was switching to 4G really often. And this was in an area where I'd expect this thing to be more developed.

 

20 hours ago, Kisai said:

10 hours

Eh, I don't see major battery life differences between Google/Android and iOS that much anymore. Not to mention how my mini has an atrocious battery life (though kind of to be expected).

 

21 hours ago, Kisai said:

of 2 major

Isn't it 3-4 updates now?

21 hours ago, Kisai said:

twice

Most people do upgrade their iphones in like 3-5 years, similar to that of Android. Theoretically, true, but in real life doesn't really happen.

21 hours ago, Kisai said:

doing

Completely negated by the fact that people often do run their Androids after major OS updates stop rolling. My OnePlus kept getting security updates after the support window and apps update too. Your phone suddenly doesn't self combust the second updates stop. I seriously don't know what you think that Androids stop working after 4-5 years. Things are much different from like 2014 when that was applicable to basically every phone except iPhones. 

[Dracarris]

2 hours ago, WolframaticAlpha said:

Most people do upgrade their iphones in like 3-5 years, similar to that of Android. Theoretically, true, but in real life doesn't really happen.

Do you have a source for this (both for Android and iPhone)?

2 hours ago, WolframaticAlpha said:

My OnePlus kept getting security updates after the support window and apps update too.

To how many Android phones does such a policy apply? For how long in total did the security and app updates roll (actual usable device lifetime from a SW perspective)?

[Kisai]

4 hours ago, WolframaticAlpha said:

Your phone suddenly doesn't self combust the second updates stop. I seriously don't know what you think that Androids stop working after 4-5 years. Things are much different from like 2014 when that was applicable to basically every phone except iPhones. 

My mom is still using some amazon special on a prepaid plan and the only reason she has been able to use it as long as she has is because she does NOT use anything on it but the phone, text and camera.

 

If you are using apps on a device, that's where that viability changes dramatically. Google has this penchant for needless updates (see Chrome) and killing things unceremoniously (see the google graveyard) that makes it needlessly complicated for people who don't like to fiddle with stuff.

 

[WolframaticAlpha]

On 9/7/2023 at 5:02 AM, Kisai said:

My mom is still using some amazon special on a prepaid plan and the only reason she has been able to use it as long as she has is because she does NOT use anything on it but the phone, text and camera.

 

If you are using apps on a device, that's where that viability changes dramatically. Google has this penchant for needless updates (see Chrome) and killing things unceremoniously (see the google graveyard) that makes it needlessly complicated for people who don't like to fiddle with stuff.

 

If you want to give anecdotal evidence, I can too. I frequently see people run their Androids more than 5 years with working apps.  My 5 year old OnePlus can run the latest versions of all the apps I use.

 

Most of your post is filled with misconceptions about how Android phones are like to use. Just because your 50 dollar Walmart special running Android is crap doesn't mean evey single one is. 

[Kisai]

6 minutes ago, WolframaticAlpha said:

If you want to give anecdotal evidence, I can too. I frequently see people run their Androids more than 5 years with working apps.  My 5 year old OnePlus can run the latest versions of all the apps I use.

 

Most of your post is filled with misconceptions about how Android phones are like to use. Just because your 50 dollar Walmart special running Android is crap doesn't mean evey single one is. 

I have yet to see anyone use an Android phone beyond it's service life who used it for anything but phone and text. The key point here you chose to ignore is that your average person who buys an android phone, bought it because they were told it was cheap, and many people don't use anything on Android phones because they have no "ecosystem" to use it with. I don't know of a single person with a 2+ year old android phone, who also happens to have a Linux computer. As far as I know, they don't exist.

 

Where as every person I know with an iPhone, owns at least two other pieces of other Apple kit. Apple watches, Apple computers, iPads, etc.

 

So yes, every single "50$ walmart special" Android phone is likely unusable crap within the year, but the people who bought those, bought those because all they need is a phone, not some gadget to do their banking on.

[WolframaticAlpha]

7 minutes ago, Kisai said:

because they have no "ecosystem" to use it

Only in NA, have I seen actually care about the fact that some people use Android and can't use the apple ecosystem. It might be hard to conceive of, but a lot, if not most people don't give a fuck about the ecosystem.

 

11 minutes ago, Kisai said:

So yes, every single "50$ walmart special" Android phone is likely unusable crap within the year, but the people who bought those, bought those because all they need is a phone, not some gadget to do their banking on.

What the fuck lmfao? I can't argue with someone who actually thinks this is true. Jeez, I used to think you were reasonable.

[suicidalfranco]

19 minutes ago, Kisai said:

I have yet to see anyone use an Android phone beyond it's service life who used it for anything but phone and text. The key point here you chose to ignore is that your average person who buys an android phone, bought it because they were told it was cheap, and many people don't use anything on Android phones because they have no "ecosystem" to use it with. I don't know of a single person with a 2+ year old android phone, who also happens to have a Linux computer. As far as I know, they don't exist.

 

Where as every person I know with an iPhone, owns at least two other pieces of other Apple kit. Apple watches, Apple computers, iPads, etc.

 

So yes, every single "50$ walmart special" Android phone is likely unusable crap within the year, but the people who bought those, bought those because all they need is a phone, not some gadget to do their banking on.

must be nice living in lala land

meanwhile here i am using my 8 year old V10, for browsing, spotify, for YouTubem for WhatsApp, for Hearthstone and i've recently installed chatGPT on it, all working as intended.

[jagdtigger]

24 minutes ago, Kisai said:

I have yet to see anyone use an Android phone beyond it's service life who used it for anything but phone and text.

Replaced my galaxy s5 this year so i guess now you seen one. The only reason i had to do it was apps getting obscenely obese compared to their function...... This time i got myself a phone with 8 gig ram and 256 gig storage so im good for at least a decade.....

[Kisai]

9 hours ago, WolframaticAlpha said:

Only in NA, have I seen actually care about the fact that some people use Android and can't use the apple ecosystem. It might be hard to conceive of, but a lot, if not most people don't give a fuck about the ecosystem.

Are you in India, or some african country, where the vast majority of the population can't afford a smartphone in the first place? No. Then listen to yourself here. It's not "Most people don't care about the ecosystem", it's people readily buy into the ecosystem because they trust some specific brand.

 

Have you never seen someone's stainless steel kitchen full of samsung appliances? People simply do not know there is NOTHING to gain from owning a Samsung dishwasher and microwave over two different brands. No they buy these as a set because they get conned into believing "well Samsung made my smartphone, and I like it, maybe they make good microwaves and fridges."

 

When that is not a "ecosystem", you gain no benefit to owning samsung appliances to complement your samsung smartphone.

 

9 hours ago, WolframaticAlpha said:

What the fuck lmfao? I can't argue with someone who actually thinks this is true. Jeez, I used to think you were reasonable.

I'm reasonable except when people bring up the dead horse about Linux or Android, because people still have this god awful mindset that you should only buy things based on the price. So people who buy garbage, get a garbage experience, and those are all Android devices.

 

The vast majority of the junk that your wireless carrier sells, is garbage because they get the most margin on the cheapest stuff they can flog off. Meanwhile a flagship phone they get the least from, because the BOM is that much higher for a good device.

 

Which leads back to this entire problem in this thread. I don't expect the Walmart/Costco/Amazon $50 special to last 2 years. I sincerely do not, and I think people buy these trash devices only buy them because they don't actually use them for anything but phone calls and text messages, which is exactly what my parents did.  The only person I know with an Android phone is my sister, and she ascribes exactly to the "I don't see why an iPhone costs $1600" and yet has gone through twice as many phone as I have.

 

Android users tend to not expect their devices to last 2 years, because Google didn't intend for them to last 2 years. These devices were made for the people who view phones as disposable.

 

[Dracarris]

4 hours ago, suicidalfranco said:

meanwhile here i am using my 8 year old V10, for browsing, spotify, for YouTubem for WhatsApp, for Hearthstone and i've recently installed chatGPT on it, all working as intended.

And ofc with all recent and up-to-date security patches, on the original (vendor provided) OS, and not by installing Graphene OS or otherwise fiddling with it.

 

We are all stupid. Android phones live for 8+ years with all the updates and manufacturer support one can wish for and it's all just a conspiracy by Apple fanboys.

[suicidalfranco]

43 minutes ago, Dracarris said:

And ofc with all recent and up-to-date security patches, on the original (vendor provided) OS, and not by installing Graphene OS or otherwise fiddling with it.

Exactly, still on marshmallow

44 minutes ago, Dracarris said:

We are all stupid. Android phones live for 8+ years with all the updates and manufacturer support one can wish for and it's all just a conspiracy by Apple fanboys.

It lives, it works, and am not hysterical enough to live in fear of my own shadow.

Keep on digging though

[Kinda Bottlenecked]

I've used both my android and Iphone pretty long term but the major OS updates on android definitely stopped coming sooner which is a waste since they're plenty capable of running the latest android versions. 

 

There weren't any major useability differences between the 2 brands. It was ultimately the hardware that I needed on the iphone. 

[Dracarris]

26 minutes ago, suicidalfranco said:

Exactly, still on marshmallow

So let me get this straight: You are running on an OS that hasn't been patched since 2018 (17?) and seriously think this is in any way shape or form an acceptable way of operating a phone? And you call people "living in lala land"?

One elemental use case of my phone is mobile payment and e-banking while on the go, and this is an absolute and horrible no-go for this not-very-exoctic use case and the exact reason I stick with iOS.

[suicidalfranco]

31 minutes ago, Dracarris said:

So let me get this straight: You are running on an OS that hasn't been patched since 2018 (17?) and seriously think this is in any way shape or form an acceptable way of operating a phone? And you call people "living in lala land"?

One elemental use case of my phone is mobile payment and e-banking while on the go, and this is an absolute and horrible no-go for this not-very-exoctic use case and the exact reason I stick with iOS.

Yep, as long as it works I have no reason to buy another one.

It does what I need it to do without the limitations imposed by an overeaching corporation. That's why I stick with it, beside the fact that every phone released after have more drowbacks than advantages

[Dracarris]

1 hour ago, suicidalfranco said:

Yep, as long as it works I have no reason to buy another one.

Dude, you are walking around with a phone full of known and well-documented exploits and vulnerabilities. You are literally a walking security risk to yourself and the people around you. Your phone is not eligible for online banking, hence it does _not_ work anymore.

 

But "uh oh big evil corporation". Let me tell you a secret: Big evil corporation by the name of Apple _does_ provide you with 8 years of security patches and actually sells phones that often last that long. But I see you are on your very own, personal agenda here.

[suicidalfranco]

2 minutes ago, Dracarris said:

Dude, you are walking around with a phone full of known and well-documented exploits and vulnerabilities. You are literally a walking security risk to yourself and the people around you. Your phone is not eligible for online banking, hence it does _not_ work anymore.

 

But "uh oh big evil corporation". Let me tell you a secret: Big evil corporation by the name of Apple _does_ provide you with 8 years of security patches and actually sells phones that often last that long. But I see you are on your very own, personal agenda here.

Bank app works fine so meh

[Dracarris]

7 minutes ago, suicidalfranco said:

Bank app works fine so meh

You are literally open to bad actors stealing your money. There's no point in arguing with you, you are plain unreasonable.

And btw no banking app should accept such an old OS, and they usually don't do, so I find it hard to even believe what you say.

[suicidalfranco]

3 hours ago, Dracarris said:

You are literally open to bad actors stealing your money. There's no point in arguing with you, you are plain unreasonable.

And btw no banking app should accept such an old OS, and they usually don't do, so I find it hard to even believe what you say.

Runs and never had money missing so meh

[LAwLz]

On 9/8/2023 at 11:42 PM, suicidalfranco said:

Runs and never had money missing so meh

That's a bit like driving without a seatbelt and saying "I've never been in an accident".

Just because you haven't had an issue does not mean it is safe or a good idea.

 

 

I think it's important to understand how Android updates work (and why they can't be compared to iOS updates), but I also don't think it's a good idea to still be running Marshmallow these days. A lot of the things that makes Android OS updates less important started being introduced in Android 10. 

I think some people are being way to hysterical about Android updates, but I also think you are being very reckless for seemingly no reason. Even a low or mid-range phone would be far more secure and better, for a very low price in your case.

[suicidalfranco]

1 hour ago, LAwLz said:

Even a low or mid-range phone would be far more secure and better, for a very low price in your case.

show me a phone that is an actual upgrade to everything that makes the V10 and i'll consider it.

Else i don't see any reason to throw mony out of the window

[LAwLz]

28 minutes ago, suicidalfranco said:

show me a phone that is an actual upgrade to everything that makes the V10 and i'll consider it.

Else i don't see any reason to throw mony out of the window

I don't know what you value and what unique things you see in the V10 so that's a tough thing to ask.

I could say the Sony Xperia 1 V because I assume your objections to most phones are things like no SD card slot, no 3.5mm headphone jack and a camera that in some way obscures part of the screen. But for all I know "what makes the V10" might in your eyes be something very particular or a very particular set of things like "I want a phone that has a specific textures on the back, and a green wallpaper". I don't think those are your actual requirements but you get the point.

 

What I do think however is that you should be a bit more open-minded and consider the possibility of maybe losing something you like if it means you get several other things in return. 

Maybe you don't need an sd card slot for example if the phone instead of having 32GB of storage has 256GB, for example. 

[suicidalfranco]

7 hours ago, LAwLz said:

I don't know what you value and what unique things you see in the V10 so that's a tough thing to ask.

I could say the Sony Xperia 1 V because I assume your objections to most phones are things like no SD card slot, no 3.5mm headphone jack and a camera that in some way obscures part of the screen. But for all I know "what makes the V10" might in your eyes be something very particular or a very particular set of things like "I want a phone that has a specific textures on the back, and a green wallpaper". I don't think those are your actual requirements but you get the point.

 

What I do think however is that you should be a bit more open-minded and consider the possibility of maybe losing something you like if it means you get several other things in return. 

Maybe you don't need an sd card slot for example if the phone instead of having 32GB of storage has 256GB, for example. 

Let me make a list:

A good built in amp that can drive my high impedance headphones

A good built in DAC cause I don't want to carry an external one

A good set of mics to record jam sessions

A removable battery cause they are disposable and I'd rather swap a battery in the middle of the day than be tethered to a power bank or a wall wart

SD cards, cause it doesn't matter how large the storage is when it can all be gone with the phone if it just suddenly dies on you, and cloud ain't an alternative

Non glass sandwich design, dumbest to ever come out

Nice feature to have of the V10: the secondary display On top of the main one with its front facing camera next to it without ruining the main display with holes

 

What do I get with the current selection of devices right now:

A better SoC and current version of android. Maybe a removable battery, but forget everything else.

Doesn't sound like an upgrade to me, and I'm perfectly content with my current phone and see no reason to swap as long as it keeps going as it is and letting me type this reply without breaking a sweat.