Google and Samsung now provide updates for 7 years, and Fairphone provides updates for 8 years.
From what I can tell, Apple doesn’t promise a set number of years for updates. The iPhone x got about 5 years of updates before support was dropped, but Apple will occasionally give security updates to older devices if they’re severe enough.
With Fairphone 5, they guarantee at least 8 years of software updates but they will actually try 10 years! [1]
And Apple was recently forced to disclose their software support commitment in the UK due to regulations. Apple guarantees at least 5 years of software updates, which is less than Google, Samsung, and Fairphone. Apple is no longer the leader in software support! [2]
I went from an iPhone 7 to an iPhone 13 . I had replaced the battery on the iPhone 7 already, it still was getting updates but physically the charge port started wearing out and the NFC stopped working .
Was a good run, phone was super reliable needed no tweaking to work.
I have also been using iPhones since the iPhone 3G. Long before it existed on Android it was very easy to movie everything from your old phone to the new one, first via iTunes desktop then later via iCloud.
Family sharing for apps and family backups pooled in iCloud is also very convenient.
Good to hear, but I don’t think I will have a phone for as long as six years, because for one thing the battery probably will have become unusable by then - they can only be charged so many times.
You know you can replace the battery, right? Like, 10 minutes with some basic repair knowledge and you can have it done. I usually do a battery replacement on my iPhone ever 2 years just because it will inevitably slow down and the battery life becomes unusable.
No way.
You need more than 10 minutes and way more than “basic” repair knowledge.
Iphones are by design extremely hard to repair.
Proprietary screws, glued in components (which needs to be removed and reapplied) and battery management components which need to be resoldered to the new battery so that the phone accepts it.
Its been a while since i have repaired an iphone but i doubt its gotten better.
If you can do it in 10 minutes I will gove you 10 bucks though.
I’m a former sysadmin (10 years) with 1 year spent working as cellphone repair prior to that. I could bang out batteries all day long for replacing. It’s not rocket science.
Save your money. $10 doesn’t even cover my morning coffee.
iPhones are glued together, and the batteries are not meant to be replaced. It ruins the waterproofing. Fairphones are one of the only modern phones with replacable batteries.
Yeah, while you technically can replace the battery yourself on modern smartphones, it’s really not as simple or accessible as people make it out to be. Gone are the days of quickly popping off a battery cover with zero tools and just dropping in a new battery. I’d wager most people today get their phone replaced when their battery has degraded to the point of unusability. Grandma used to be able to do this. Now, not so much. Often, tech focused, internet minded individuals don’t realize how the general public views and interacts with their tech.
But updates for what? You gain very little from security because nobody is targeting you and no new major features, so what’s it really worth? Maybe I’m wrong about my perception of those things though… I’ve used 2 androids for around 8 years each no problem.
You gain very little from security because nobody is targeting you…
It’s not about being targeted, it’s about being caught in the big fishing net that scammers are throwing. You don’t have to be targeted to have security concerns.
If a phone isn’t receiving regular security updates, I won’t use it. My Pixel 5a just got replaced because it’s coming up on end of support. My new Pixel has 7 years of support, so I feel a lot better about keeping it longer.
It is unfortunate that manufacturers, Google, and app makers have all engaged in behaviors that make running a third-party OS less viable for most people.
Updates to secure the operating systems are worth it. Apple has a fantastic track record of supporting the older phones. It shows they’ve really planned ahead and thought about the entire lifecycle of their device. They will also accept your old phone after its life is complete and responsibly recycle it.
My six year old iPhone still receives software updates
This is why I made the switch from android to iPhone too
Tbf new android phones are now getting ~8 year of software updates, plus you can install lineage to get more
As an android user, I looked at the phone list for iOS 18, and I was jealous.
Google and Samsung now provide updates for 7 years, and Fairphone provides updates for 8 years.
From what I can tell, Apple doesn’t promise a set number of years for updates. The iPhone x got about 5 years of updates before support was dropped, but Apple will occasionally give security updates to older devices if they’re severe enough.
With Fairphone 5, they guarantee at least 8 years of software updates but they will actually try 10 years! [1]
And Apple was recently forced to disclose their software support commitment in the UK due to regulations. Apple guarantees at least 5 years of software updates, which is less than Google, Samsung, and Fairphone. Apple is no longer the leader in software support! [2]
https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/9979180437393-Fairphone-OS ↩︎
https://www.androidauthority.com/iphone-software-support-commitment-3449135/ ↩︎
I went from an iPhone 7 to an iPhone 13 . I had replaced the battery on the iPhone 7 already, it still was getting updates but physically the charge port started wearing out and the NFC stopped working .
Was a good run, phone was super reliable needed no tweaking to work.
I have also been using iPhones since the iPhone 3G. Long before it existed on Android it was very easy to movie everything from your old phone to the new one, first via iTunes desktop then later via iCloud.
Family sharing for apps and family backups pooled in iCloud is also very convenient.
Good to hear, but I don’t think I will have a phone for as long as six years, because for one thing the battery probably will have become unusable by then - they can only be charged so many times.
You know you can replace the battery, right? Like, 10 minutes with some basic repair knowledge and you can have it done. I usually do a battery replacement on my iPhone ever 2 years just because it will inevitably slow down and the battery life becomes unusable.
No way. You need more than 10 minutes and way more than “basic” repair knowledge.
Iphones are by design extremely hard to repair.
Proprietary screws, glued in components (which needs to be removed and reapplied) and battery management components which need to be resoldered to the new battery so that the phone accepts it.
Its been a while since i have repaired an iphone but i doubt its gotten better.
If you can do it in 10 minutes I will gove you 10 bucks though.
I’m a former sysadmin (10 years) with 1 year spent working as cellphone repair prior to that. I could bang out batteries all day long for replacing. It’s not rocket science.
Save your money. $10 doesn’t even cover my morning coffee.
You misrepresent the time, tools and knowledge needed to do those repairs.
“10 minutes and some basic repair knowledge” is still misleading even if you are a former sysadmin of 10 years.
Enjoy your overpriced coffee!
iPhones are glued together, and the batteries are not meant to be replaced. It ruins the waterproofing. Fairphones are one of the only modern phones with replacable batteries.
Yeah, while you technically can replace the battery yourself on modern smartphones, it’s really not as simple or accessible as people make it out to be. Gone are the days of quickly popping off a battery cover with zero tools and just dropping in a new battery. I’d wager most people today get their phone replaced when their battery has degraded to the point of unusability. Grandma used to be able to do this. Now, not so much. Often, tech focused, internet minded individuals don’t realize how the general public views and interacts with their tech.
And that’s boring plus ruining the sealing
But updates for what? You gain very little from security because nobody is targeting you and no new major features, so what’s it really worth? Maybe I’m wrong about my perception of those things though… I’ve used 2 androids for around 8 years each no problem.
It’s not about being targeted, it’s about being caught in the big fishing net that scammers are throwing. You don’t have to be targeted to have security concerns.
If a phone isn’t receiving regular security updates, I won’t use it. My Pixel 5a just got replaced because it’s coming up on end of support. My new Pixel has 7 years of support, so I feel a lot better about keeping it longer.
My Pixel 4a has LineageOS on it, and is installing an update from two days ago right now.
Sure, the general OS is getting security updates but hardware-specific updates have stopped.
That’s true, but hardware drivers are a much smaller attack surface area.
Fair, but I meant updates from the original manufacturer.
It is unfortunate that manufacturers, Google, and app makers have all engaged in behaviors that make running a third-party OS less viable for most people.
Updates to secure the operating systems are worth it. Apple has a fantastic track record of supporting the older phones. It shows they’ve really planned ahead and thought about the entire lifecycle of their device. They will also accept your old phone after its life is complete and responsibly recycle it.
Correct. You are wrong about your perception.