Motorola recently launched several phones with no Android updates but five years of security patches in Europe.
This could be due to the company’s interpretation of EU regulations regarding software updates.
It seems like the regulations don’t actually force smartphone makers to offer software updates at all.
So you don’t get a newer (not better) OS version that runs slower on old hardware… but instead they patch the original OS for security vulnerabilities. Where’s the issue?
One potential problem is apps could stop working if they target a more recent version of Android.
has any Android API version been deprecated in under 5 years? I don’t think there has to my knowledge.
I read something about google’s play store requiring an API update every 2 years since late 2022, but i don’t know specifics.
I’m not sure, but even if that’s true, there are other stores available on slightly older versions (fdroid, obtainium, aurora). Note, however, that some newer versions of android will prevent app installation outside of their official play store (they tag it as "side loading, but it’s actually just installation).
Edit. Spelling.
what does the new shiny android version has that is worth it? nothing, security fixes is enough, I am tired of shit updates the fuck with everything by oems that have shit QA and provide little to none security updates and often quite late, LOOKING AT YOU SAMSUNG, I swear if i have to factory reset my phone AGAIN because an update fucked something up again
what does the new shiny android version has that is worth it?
oems that have shit QA
That’s it in a nutshell. Recent Android versions added really nice features and APIs that app devs won’t bother implementing for a while, because even for the small percentage of users running recent Android versions, OEMs always find clever ways to fuck up their implementation of said APIs.
