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Google Sends Final Software Update To Legacy Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P Phones (hothardware.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the end-of-the-road dept.

Google has pushed out the final "guaranteed" official software update for Nexus devices. According to Hot Hardware, the November update for both the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P "carries the final build number of OPM7.181105.004, running Android 8.1 Oreo." From the report: The last Nexus smartphones to launch from Google were the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, which debuted in late 2015. Under Google's three-year update policy, both smartphones have received two major Android releases (Android 7.0 Nougat in 2016 and Android 8.0 Oreo in 2017) along with three years of monthly security updates. The monthly security updates should have ended in September, but Google out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve through November 2018.

107 comments

  1. "out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Shouldnt the update policy mean how long the device is supported at minimum? So there shouldnt be anything wrong or unexpected with a longer support time frame.

    At the same time five year old Apple devices (5S) still receive support and the latest versions. That, coupled with an iOS 12 market share of 60% versus an Android 9 market share of 0.1% speaks for itself as far as "update policies" are concerned.

    And before anyone jumps out accusing me of being an Apple fanboy, I have never owned any Apple device and am currently running a Nougat and an Oreo device. However I am really slowly thinking of whether a switch to Apple would be all that bad. While I considered macOS before I always used to rule out iOS because of its golden cage - "used to". The thing that still holds me back for now is Apple's - IMHO - exaggerted pricing structure.

    1. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Camembert · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "At the same time five year old Apple devices (5S) still receive support and the latest versions. That, coupled with an iOS 12 market share of 60% versus an Android 9 market share of 0.1% speaks for itself as far as "update policies" are concerned."

      I have to say what impressed me most about IOS12 on my 4 year old 6Plus is that it has made the old phone operate more smoothly. To the point that I hope it will hold out for another year before replacing to then newest iphone.
      I recognise it wasn't always like this, one past update made my jurassic iPad 2 suddenly slow like a tortoise, it was indeed an old device with limited specs and little RAM but it taught me to first check on reports of new IOS on old devices, because annoyingly you can't roll back to the previous version of IOS after the first week or so of release.
      Anyway, back to the 6Plus. It wasn't a cheap device when I bought it, but if I can get (as I expect) 5 years of comfortable use out of it, then the yearly price vs. the general satisfaction will have been worth it.

    2. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      The problem with iOS updates is that they can't easily be reversed. There is a small window where they allow it (or used to, do they still do that?) and then you are stuck. So if it sucks you can't downgrade. Most Android devices can be downgraded easily if you don't like the new OS.

      Also worth remembering that these devices are still getting security updates via the usual Play Store mechanism. With Oreo most of the OS can be patched by Play now, so while they won't get feature updates they will remain secure for many years to come.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    3. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > The problem with iOS updates is that they can't easily be reversed. There is a small window where they allow it (or used to, do they still do that?) and then you are stuck. So if it sucks you can't downgrade. Most Android devices can be downgraded easily if you don't like the new OS.

      True, that is part of the golden cage problem I referred to earlier.

      > Also worth remembering that these devices are still getting security updates via the usual Play Store mechanism. With Oreo most of the OS can be patched by Play now, so while they won't get feature updates they will remain secure for many years to come.

      Yes and no. You will receive updates for applications and certain libraries (e.g. webview) but core components (like the kernel) will never receive updates.

    4. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Informative

      Android 9 market share of 0.1%

      According to Google 21.5% of Android devices are on Oreo.

      https://developer.android.com/...

      50% are on Oreo or Nougat, the two latest versions. Where did you get your number from?

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    5. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Neither Oreo nor Nougat are the latest versions. Oreo is 8 and I was talking about 9.

    6. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple products have the "use it the way we tell you" feature. Try using a MBP with dual monitors. What a pain in the ass.

      Try it with any Windows machine. No issue. At. All.

    7. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was not saying Apple does not have issues too (considering that I have little experience with that platform there is certainly a lot that I dont even know about). What I was saying is that Apple became more appealing to me in recent times.

    8. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Fair comment. They don't have stats for Pie (9) yet. In any case, where did you get your number from? I'm really interested to know since there are no official stats.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    9. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have that number implicitly from that very page.

      > Data collected during a 7-day period ending on October 26, 2018.
      > Any versions with less than 0.1% distribution are not shown.

    10. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by mjwx · · Score: 1

      Shouldnt the update policy mean how long the device is supported at minimum? So there shouldnt be anything wrong or unexpected with a longer support time frame.

      At the same time five year old Apple devices (5S) still receive support and the latest versions. T

      Yes, but they also don't send updates to hobble our phones until we fork out £1000 for a new one, so I consider myself better off with Android.

      --
      Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
    11. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > Yes, but they also don't send updates to hobble our phones until we fork out £1000 for a new one, so I consider myself better off with Android.

      Can you elaborate on what you mean by that? Its not quite clear to me.

    12. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Anubis+IV · · Score: 2

      I’ve had a similar experience with my 2013 iPhone 5s. It just received the iOS 12.1 update, which went smoothly, and it feels as if it’s running better than at any point in the last few years. Its (original) battery is no longer able to just barely squeak through a full weekend on a single charge like it could up until earlier this year, but it can still make it through a full day and partway into the next with light use. I may replace the battery at some point this year, but I’m going to try to stretch it to when I upgrade.

      I’ve had the money set aside to replace it for a few years now, and I fully intended to replace it this year, but with iOS 12 being so good on it, and with the latest iPhones not really feeling like they offered that much more over last year’s models, I figured I’d give them another year before upgrading.

    13. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Genuinely curious here - What android apps, if any, do you run that don't come from the google play store? If the answer is 'none', and you're not using a custom ROM or something, the golden cage argument would seem to be moot....

    14. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      Shouldnt the update policy mean how long the device is supported at minimum? So there shouldnt be anything wrong or unexpected with a longer support time frame.

      At the same time five year old Apple devices (5S) still receive support and the latest versions. T

      Yes, but they also don't send updates to hobble our phones until we fork out £1000 for a new one, so I consider myself better off with Android.

      You mean they also don't send out updates that make it so my old phone doesn't suddenly crash because you're in the cold trying to call for emergency services after your car ends up in a snow bank in the middle of nowhere in 5 deg. Weather? That update? The one you can also DISABLE if you so choose?

      Yeah, Apple sure is evil...

    15. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem with iOS updates is that they can't easily be reversed.

      The problem with phones is that they are all way shittier PCs than even the shittiest desktop PCs.

      People would not put up with this crap on the desktop. Get it to fit in your hand, though, and suddenly we pretend that the most basic things (being able to backup/restore, getting updates yourself instead of having to get them from the hardware manufacturer, WTF?!) are unimportant.

    16. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Nougat device I mentioned is on LOS 14. As for application outside the Play ecosystem, right now I am mostly using Play Store applications but I did use to sideload. For me it is not necessarily what I am using right now, but mostly the possiblity to do something. In Apple's case that is much more difficult, if not impossible. Hence my golden cage reference.

    17. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Bongo · · Score: 1

      Same here on an iPhone 6.

      Although the prior release, iOS 11, had already made it very slow, it turned out the flash was gummed up, and doing a full reset and reinstall seems to have cleared the flash storage and it has returned to as-new performance under iOS 12.

    18. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by theurge14 · · Score: 1

      I'm staring at your post right now on a 3-screen MBP setup right now. My ass feels OK.

    19. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure you are. What port replicator are you using? What MacOS version?

    20. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      I got a new iPhone 6s this year. All the Android phones in the store were new models and very expensive with higher monthly fees (that you continue paying even after the phone is paid off). The older iPhones were there, pre-paid with small cost and small monthly bill, and they're still fast and zippy, have headphone jacks, and are big upgrade over my older Samsung.

    21. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't know if you're aware, but you can sideload apps onto an iOS device without jailbreaking - but you do have to build them from source yourself, so that's somewhat limiting.

    22. Re:"out of nowhere provided a two-month reprieve" by Camembert · · Score: 1

      Indeed, exactly my opinion as well. Though the camera on the newest generation is really quite a lot better - for me one of the most important extras on a smartphone.

  2. Real heroes we got here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Seriously, somebody give Google a medal for really going the extra mile to support a product for five minutes. They went way beyond the thirty seconds we see most places and really gave this one at least a dime more. Let's hear it for the heroes of long term support.

    1. Re:Real heroes we got here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A three-year maintenance plan should be enough for anybody!

  3. Great instant mass of vulnerable devices by Crashmarik · · Score: 1

    All of which are connected, and it's very doubtful their users will care or know enough to take any appropriate steps to secure them.

  4. You do realize... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The only people buying Google Nexus branded hardware were nerds, right?

    The majority of this limited run hardware is probably in the hands of people who frequent xna-developer and other android development websites, not the bog standard end users who bought phones that only got 3 years of updates if their carriers were pushing them.

  5. Three years, pathetic... by bradley13 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Three years? Even as a gamer, I am using a 5 year old gaming PC with no problems. My Nexus 5X works fine, and I have no plans to replace it - why should I? Computing devices live a lot longer than three years. While new features can be reserved for new phones, security updates should be provided essentially forever.

    Heck, I still have my original Nexus S, from 2010, and it works fine. The Google packages have bloated so much that they no longer fit. However, with root I could uninstall the Google bloat, and it is a fine backup phone.

    --
    Enjoy life! This is not a dress rehearsal.
    1. Re:Three years, pathetic... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your phone doesn't sit in your pocket and get used in the toilet and dropped on the pavement.

      The majority of phones don't make it to 2 years. The vast majority don't make it to 3 years, or Joe Consumer has upgraded to the latest model by then because of gadget envy.

      it doesn't make sense to support devices longer than their expected use and lifespan, which is around 3 years for a phone, so most manufacturers split the difference and make cheap phones and call it 18 months.

    2. Re:Three years, pathetic... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have close friends who still use the 1+1, 1+X, Galaxy S4 and the Nexus 5 daily.
      They don't care about the camera and use a custom ROM to get updates, but they perform good enough and still have 1 day battery so they see no reason to upgrade.

      When I first got my first smartphone (iPhone 3G) I dropped it many times because it was slippery and because I was used to phones being more durable so I wasn't used to actually care about the phone as much so the screen broke twice.
      Since then I've upgraded phone twice (once when changing company and once when getting pickpocketed when being on vacation) and have not broken a phone for the past 7 years.

      People who use their phones most are the ones who are most visible, most people I know who are over 40 replace their phone around every 3 years and just because teens or facebook-moms break their phones every 1-2 years doesn't mean that everyone else also does.

    3. Re:Three years, pathetic... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      "The majority of phones don't make it to 2 years. The vast majority don't make it to 3 years"
      Source? I doubt that majority of phones wouldn't survive for longer than that, if they were updated and people were not obsessed in getting the new shiniest phone.

    4. Re: Three years, pathetic... by bradley13 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Wrong. My phone lives in my pocket and sees heavy use. It has been repaired once, and has a couple of chips in the bezel, where it was dropped (good reason to avoid phones with no bezel).

      If you take decent care of your stuff, and don't have to have the new shiny, three years is no problem.

      --
      Enjoy life! This is not a dress rehearsal.
    5. Re:Three years, pathetic... by jeremyp · · Score: 1

      The majority of phones don't make it to 2 years.

      I'd like to see some evidence to support that assertion.

      Anyway, even if only (say) 5% of phones make it to three years, that is still a lot of phones. Also, you might find that manufacturers' update policies are one of the drivers for why phones have fairly short life spans.

      Anecdotally, most people I know buy a phone and keep it until it stops working properly. I myself seem to have averaged a new phone every three years (all iPhones). My mother has a cheap Android phone that she hasn't changed in about the last five years. I don't think she ever updated the software on it, but she also permanently disables the data and uses the phone only for phone calls and SMS.

      --
      All I want is a secure system where it's easy to do anything I want. Is that too much to ask ~~ Randall Munroe
    6. Re:Three years, pathetic... by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      It's not like your Nexus 5X is going to brick itself now. It will carry on working, carry on getting security and app updates via the Play Store, continue getting service updates like improvements to Google Assistant and Photos.

      You just aren't going to get the next version of the OS or further OS feature updates.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    7. Re:Three years, pathetic... by iampiti · · Score: 2

      I live in Europe and most people I know only replace their phones when they stop working correctly.
      People upgrading every year are a minority

    8. Re:Three years, pathetic... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      security updates should be provided essentially forever

      What? Something you buy and pay for once should be supported essentially forever? If you want support forever, then buy subscription services, but when you buy something, expect a limited support window. If you want values for a support window codified in to law to use as a baseline, in the US, car manufacturers are required to support a car for 10 years after production. You notice you never see safety recalls for cars older than that.

      So, for a phone, limited support windows is generally considered acceptable from a legal perspective, and I'd view security updates to be comparable to safety recalls in cars, so I would argue 10 years of security updates should be fine. But "essentially forever", sorry, I just don't agree.

      Also, good enough of a car analogy?

    9. Re:Three years, pathetic... by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      Anecdotally, most people I know buy a phone and keep it until it stops working properly.

      True. I know the buzz at my job is when our phones will get Oreo. It's almost all we talk about. Several people already went out and bought new phones just so they could have bragging rights! Wait... No one I know that isn't a nerd like me thinks or cares about that when deciding on a new phone.

    10. Re:Three years, pathetic... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Speak with your pocket book. Refuse to buy google products until they hold up their end of the transaction and support the product they sell.

    11. Re:Three years, pathetic... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      It's not like your Nexus 5X is going to brick itself now.

      It'll brick itself soon enough: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LG_smartphone_bootloop_issues#Nexus_5X

      It will carry on working, carry on getting security and app updates via the Play Store, continue getting service updates like improvements to Google Assistant and Photos.

      You just aren't going to get the next version of the OS or further OS feature updates.

      The OS feature updates stopped a year ago. This one was the last OS security update.

    12. Re:Three years, pathetic... by Lothsahn · · Score: 1

      Heck, as a gamer, I'm using a Q9550, launched over 10 years ago. While it's not nearly as fast as an i7, it can hold its own, getting 60 FPS in most games and never below 30FPS. And it's running the latest version of Windows 10 with zero issues--10 years later.

      The only upgrade I've done is a SSD and a GTX 1050, which have kept the system running nicely. Honestly, the incremental gains made in CPUs just aren't what they were. In fact, if you have at least a 2nd generation i7, your gaming performance benefit for upgrading is low. The i7-8700k's single-threaded performance is only 36% faster than the i7-2700k. You're generally better off taking the money from a new system and sinking it into a better video card.

      https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/...

      --
      -=Lothsahn=-
    13. Re: Three years, pathetic... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's just bullshit, most people get a shiny new phone as part of their contract every couple of years.

    14. Re:Three years, pathetic... by tlhIngan · · Score: 1

      It's not like your Nexus 5X is going to brick itself now.

      It'll brick itself soon enough: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      Looks like someone needs to implement throttling of the CPU so you can avoid bootlooping, a la iOS.

      There's only two reason for a phone to bootloop. Either the OS is horrendously corrupted and crashes (restorable via a reflash), or the battery is not strong enough to supply the power needed to boot the phone.

      Since reflashing doesn't work (at least with my 6P) it's probably a battery issue, which given a year into the life of the phone, could happen with heavy users.

      Funny how we'd prefer phones that crash and are nonfunctional over phones that try their best to remain functional even with dying batteries...

      The 6P bootloop fix disables the high power cores to avoid the power draws that cause the phone to bootloop. Of course, it also makes it slower.

    15. Re:Three years, pathetic... by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      It makes sense for the *consumer* to make these expensive products last as long as possible. Don't trust the manufacturers' advice because they're only trying to extract more money from you.

    16. Re:Three years, pathetic... by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      My older phones stopped working for various reasons. None were ever dropped, no chips, no cracked screens, etc. But I know plenty of people still walking around with and iPhone 4 or older. Sometimes I think people spent so much on the phones that they really don't want to give it up, or they don't have the budget to upgrade, so I do see some badly cracked and spiderwebbed screens.

      I saw a report once that the number of iPhones damaged would increase after the latest model was announced, possibly a subconscious desire to not keep a firm grip on the old model so as to get an excuse to upgrade...

    17. Re:Three years, pathetic... by Darinbob · · Score: 1

      This is the wrong sort of thinking in my view. Remember in the past that it was considered normal to be able to repair a device for a decade or two. A new appliance could easily last 25 years or more. And these new phones sometimes cost more than appliances, so why not assume that they will last. Where I work we sell devices that we expect to work for 20 years; it's sometimes a pain but we put up with it because we'd lose customers otherwise.

      The modern attitude of embracing intentionally fast obsolescence is bizarre. Fashion and conspicuous consumption is getting out of hand here. These old products are most definitely not being recycled either, it is unsustainable to keep this millenial obsession of always having new products.

    18. Re:Three years, pathetic... by RealGene · · Score: 1

      My (pristine condition) Nexus 5x started bootlooping almost exactly 2 years to the day from when I bought it. The most likely cause was mechanical stress causing BGA parts to separate from the motherboard. Google was offering me a reduced credit towards a new Pixel, because bootlooping == 'Does not boot'. I shipped it back anyway; it apparently healed in transit, because I received a full credit ($150, I think)

      --
      Mission: To provide products that consume time and energy as entertainingly as permitted by the laws of thermodynamics.
    19. Re: Three years, pathetic... by Solandri · · Score: 1

      Up until the last few years, the main reason to upgrade smartphones was increased capability. 3G, then 4G (LTE). Larger screens (by shrinking the bezel so there's no increase in phone size). Faster processors and more RAM/storage. Better battery life (which sadly manufacturers exploited to make already too-thin phones thinner). You cannot get these things without replacing the phone.

      If you actually use your smartphone extensively (i.e. not as just a phone), It's only in the last few years that it's become technologically feasible to hold onto one for more than about 3 years. I upgraded from a 3 year old Nexus 5 to a new phone last year, and the increase in performance was substantial.

      Going forward, we've pretty much reached the point where phones are "good enough" for everyone but power users. 5G won't offer much benefit to the end-user over 4G. Screens are now bezel-less and span the full width of the phone. Like desktops and laptops, processors have become "fast enough" for 98% of users. Same with storage, with 256 GB microSD cards approaching $50. And my new phone is thin enough that I'm contemplating buying an always-connected battery pack which will give me 2-3 days of use between charges.

      So Google's 3-year support period didn't really bug me with the older phones (I upgraded every 2.5-3 years anyway just to get new features). But it will peeve me if they don't lengthen it to 5- or 7-years soon.

    20. Re: Three years, pathetic... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wait, they have contracts in Europe? I thought that was just a US thing.

  6. "debuted in late 2015" Legacy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fuck the industry...

  7. Why bother? (bootloop of death) by guacamole · · Score: 1

    This was the worst Nexus device in history. Most of them probably already bootlooped, with the bootloops usually happening just over a year since day purchase.

    1. Re:Why bother? (bootloop of death) by TAz00 · · Score: 1

      It was quickly fixed in production, but damage was done to the brand, mine has been awsome these 3 years. 10/10 (except no sd card)

    2. Re:Why bother? (bootloop of death) by Stormwatch · · Score: 2

      10/10 (except no sd card)

      Then it's not really a 10/10, is it? Even if it was perfect in every other way, you must deduct a point for no SD and another for no removable battery.

      --
      Circumcision is child abuse.
    3. Re:Why bother? (bootloop of death) by syntap · · Score: 2

      Both Nexus 5x's in my family bootlooped, but LG fixed both with a relatively quick turnaround. Annoying and disruptive problem sure, but they fixed it way past the official warranty period. If anything, this increased my confidence in LG because I know if some widespread issue like that happens they will likely fix it.

      That said, I didn't have enough confidence to put official Oreo on it... I moved my Nexus 5x to Lineage as soon as I got the phone back. But the other one in the family has been running fine on official release since getting it back.

    4. Re:Why bother? (bootloop of death) by JackieBrown · · Score: 1

      I think he rates it a 10/10 for himself. Not everyone cares about that stuff.

      The removable battery used to be key for me since I always managed to break the charging port. Wireless charging has changed how much that matters to me now.

      Most of the phones that take an sd card now put the sd card in such a difficult location that even that means less to me now.

    5. Re: Why bother? (bootloop of death) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not familiar with the bootloop. But my Nexus 5 got into some kind of a "boot loop" and I discovered the cause was crud that built up under the power button. If you hold the phone on its side and flick the power button with your finger bits of crud will come out, enough that the boot loop will stop. You will need to do this again every once in a long while.

    6. Re:Why bother? (bootloop of death) by Albanach · · Score: 1

      It was quickly fixed in production, but damage was done to the brand, mine has been awsome these 3 years. 10/10 (except no sd card)

      Really. I have chucked out four devices, each of which bootlooped and they were acquired over a period of about a year. All purchased from Google.

      So, either Google were selling old faulty stock or this wasn't quickly fixed in production.

    7. Re: Why bother? (bootloop of death) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bootloops aside, Google took NINE months to fix a crucial bug (one which meant you needed to lock and unlock your phone to revive touch input if you had the temerity to not tap anything for a few seconds) in the touchscreen driver caused by an OS update for the 5X. Piss poor.

    8. Re:Why bother? (bootloop of death) by s_p_oneil · · Score: 1

      Ditto. I got mine for close to $250 about 2.5 years ago, and when I compare it to newer phones available today, they all feel like over-priced and over-hyped disappointments, so I plan to use my 5X until it dies. If it dies from something I can find a way to fix, I will fix it and keep on using it.

    9. Re:Why bother? (bootloop of death) by iamr00t · · Score: 1

      iirc 5x was fixed - 6p problem showed up much later (mine developed a problems after 13 and 6 months of use), and was never fixed
      see https://issuetracker.google.co...

    10. Re:Why bother? (bootloop of death) by CheeseyDJ · · Score: 1

      Yep, both Nexus 5x's in my household bootlooped, one after almost exactly a year, the other after ~18 months. We had the first one repaired, but for the second I managed to get a full refund (!) from Amazon and bought a Pixel XL from somewhere else on a good deal, costing me a net £20.

      Lots of negative things can be said about Amazon, but their willingness to accept returns/refunds does make me think twice about buying from elsewhere, even if Amazon is slightly more expensive.

    11. Re:Why bother? (bootloop of death) by Espectr0 · · Score: 1

      bootloop for me too, and fix post warranty as well. and i got a 32GB board replacement as a bonus (mine was 16GB)

      previous LG was nexus 5 and it fried itself. no fix from LG or Google. A friend's Nexus 4 also got hosed.

      Needless to say i won't buy LG again. I like them but they don't know how to make a phone.

      --
      Open Source Java Web Forum with LDAP authentication
  8. pathetic really by gravewax · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This really highlights the sad state of affairs for android based hardware when this is one of the "better" (and I use that word loosely) support policies, a fucking disgrace.

  9. I got two years by trawg · · Score: 1

    I bought mine brand new at retail just over two years ago. I knew buying it late would be a risk like this but was hoping they'd extend. Two extra months is better than a kick in the groin but it's still disappointing.

    Very strongly considering jumping ship to Apple these days. I'd cheerfully keep buying cheap Nexus devices every 2-3 years but if I have to drop $1000 on the way only google phone I know will be up to date then I'd rather get a cheaper iPhone. (I know Android One is a thing too but they seem hard to find in Australia)

  10. Three years of support... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ought to be enough for anyone.

  11. For how long is each Android version maintained? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That is, for how many months do Google maintain each major version of Android, irregardless of whether they or other manufacturers decide to push the updates? Just 12 months?

  12. That's bad by Artem+S.+Tashkinov · · Score: 5, Insightful

    This three years guaranteed updates policy is a complete and utter BS, Google. Modern smartphones are more than capable of serving the user not just for three years, they may work for up to a decade and this support window just doesn't cut it. It's bad for the environment, it's bad for people (since Google basically forces them to replace their perfectly working devices just to feel safe), it's bad for Android's popularity in general because when you e.g. buy into the Apple ecosystem you can expect more than five years of support and that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth since a lot of Android phones cost as much as or even more than the most expensive iPhones (Samsung Note9 512GB, Huawei Mate 20 Pro 256GB, etc).

    This must change.

    1. Re:That's bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It won't change as long as Google makes more money this way. They are an American company, and profits are what matters most. Environment means nothing to them.

      One thing people can do is stop buying expensive Android phones. Stick to the €100-€200 models, to make it clear that this is what 3 years of updates is worth, no more.

    2. Re: That's bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You aren't going to change the market. Legislation is the way to go to enforce a better support policy.

    3. Re:That's bad by swillden · · Score: 2

      This three years guaranteed updates policy is a complete and utter BS, Google.

      It should be noted that Google is, AFAICT, the only phone maker that offers any guaranteed update policy at all. Apple in practice offers about five years of updates, but they make no specific commitments and could change this at any time.

      Note also that Google's guaranteed support period has increased to four years on Pixel devices. IMO, it should be five years. I'm skeptical that it makes sense to support devices longer than that, just because such a small percentage of devices actually survive that long. It costs the same to support an old device that has 1000 units still in service as it does to support an old device with 100,000 units still in service, but the benefit is obviously much smaller. And support costs increase as a device gets older and less similar to current generations.

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    4. Re:That's bad by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      This three years guaranteed updates policy is a complete and utter BS, Google. Modern smartphones are more than capable of serving the user not just for three years, they may work for up to a decade and this support window just doesn't cut it. It's bad for the environment, it's bad for people (since Google basically forces them to replace their perfectly working devices just to feel safe), it's bad for Android's popularity in general because when you e.g. buy into the Apple ecosystem you can expect more than five years of support and that leaves a bitter taste in your mouth since a lot of Android phones cost as much as or even more than the most expensive iPhones (Samsung Note9 512GB, Huawei Mate 20 Pro 256GB, etc).

      This must change.

      Yeah - last time the family upgraded, my son wanted to go android. He was yapping about how that would save money. Then the bill came in.

      But you aren't getting it right. The way this works is you take the most expensive Apple model, than compare it to the cheapest rock-bottom Android phone. Then yell "See, SEE? Applez shitz too spensive!"

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    5. Re:That's bad by EvilSS · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Speaking of Apple, one big difference here is that iOS doesn't tie security updates to hardware the way Google is doing here (unless, of course, the particular issue is model specific). So if you have an old iPhone with a currently supported OS on it, it will get security updates for as long as Apple is releasing them for that version. I seems crazy that a Google branded Android device with a modern version of Android OS isn't going to get security updates for that OS now because the hardware and not the OS is out of support.

      --
      I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
    6. Re:That's bad by Lothsahn · · Score: 1

      Pixel has a 4 year support? That's good to know and may shift my purchasing decisions. Me and my family hold on to our phones for a long time.

      --
      -=Lothsahn=-
    7. Re: That's bad by alexo · · Score: 1

      You aren't going to change the market. Legislation is the way to go to enforce a better support policy.

      Statistically speaking, the vast majority of US legislation is written to benefit special interest groups at the expense of the general public.

    8. Re:That's bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This must change.

      If we were talking about server or a desktop, you would solve this in the most common sense way possible: you don't depend on hardware manufacturers (or ISPs) for software updates. You get your hardware from whoever (or assemble it yourself from parts), and you get your software from Canonical (or even Microsoft!!). And your ISP has no say in any of this.

      Fit the computer in your hand, though, and all common sense is forgotten.

    9. Re: That's bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I believe at WWDC this year, Apple announced the then-current generation of hardware would receive 7 years of support.

    10. Re: That's bad by swillden · · Score: 1

      I believe at WWDC this year, Apple announced the then-current generation of hardware would receive 7 years of support.

      That's awesome, if true. Cite? Some quick searching didn't turn it up.

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    11. Re:That's bad by swillden · · Score: 1

      Pixel has a 4 year support? That's good to know and may shift my purchasing decisions. Me and my family hold on to our phones for a long time.

      Sorry, no it doesn't. My mistake. It's three years. My confusion was caused by the fact that it used to be two years of major upgrades plus a third year of security patches, then they changed it to three years of major upgrades. I mistakenly assumed this meant three years of upgrades plus a year of security patches, but it's just three years of upgrades & patches.

      So Pixel 2 will be supported until October 2020. Pixel 3 until October 2021. They'll get version upgrades and monthly security patches until those dates. Of course, after those dates you could potentially switch to a custom ROM if there's one that continues providing updates for longer, but that's not really a great option for most people. Pixel bootloaders are unlockable, so the self support option is always available, if not always practical.

      https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/4457705

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    12. Re: That's bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lol you rode in on your white horse and fell off into a pile of horseshit. I told you that you look stupid always running to your employers defense. Maybe now you can see it.

    13. Re:That's bad by Lothsahn · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the correction. Ignore the AC :)

      --
      -=Lothsahn=-
    14. Re:That's bad by swillden · · Score: 1

      Thanks for the correction. Ignore the AC :)

      The AC follows me around like a puppy. Sometimes I worry when he goes quiet for a while :-)

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    15. Re: That's bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The AC just wants you to act professionally and stop shillings for your bosses when u should be fixing the mountain of android security flaws

  13. What's the verdict on Lineage? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is it an acceptable replacement for stock android? When I look at what's available for my Nexus 5, I don't see anything marked as stable. Just nightlies.

    1. Re: What's the verdict on Lineage? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I forget to add, what's the deal with Google apps and the Play store on Lineage (or any other android distro)? I thought Google made some changes recently that made using Google apps more difficult on a non-Google supported OS.

    2. Re: What's the verdict on Lineage? by trytoguess · · Score: 1

      I've been using the Lineage OS nightlies for about 1 year. So far I haven't had any issues. But I should note I haven't really done anything too unusual with the system. It just runs some common apps from the Google Play Store. I haven't even enabled root on it.

      Speaking of Google Play Store the installation process is still the same as it was last year. Go to https://opengapps.org/ pick the version you want/need and install/sideload it with TWRP (or similar program). Just remember to install the Play Store immediately after you install Lineage on the system. Like, don't reboot into the newly installed OS without installing Google Play Store. Otherwise there may be crashes.

    3. Re: What's the verdict on Lineage? by Lothsahn · · Score: 2

      My wife and I switched for our Nexus 6. She had significant issues with performance that caused her to switch to a Note 9. Right before the switch, her screen spontaneously shattered, so it was a moot point anyway. The later updates resolved the performance issues for me (but not for her).

      We've also had random issues with battery life that appear to come and go with various updates. For now, battery life is good.

      Overall, I find it less stable and reliable than the factory supported OS. It's clear that with the bigger resources, Google is able to do much better QA than the one device maintainer (Elektro) than LineageOS, especially with things like battery life. However, it does allow me to postpone a large capital purchase and it's been good as a daily driver.

      The problem with LineageOS is that the quality of each device is largely up to the quality that the device maintainer is able to achieve. This is dependent on their time availability, skill, and access to information about the device. Much of Android remains closed source and certain items are difficult/impossible to fix.

      --
      -=Lothsahn=-
    4. Re: What's the verdict on Lineage? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your weird battery life could be the result of Google A/B testing Play Services on your phone Because Fuck You.

    5. Re: What's the verdict on Lineage? by Lothsahn · · Score: 1

      And the performance issues too, for that matter.

      --
      -=Lothsahn=-
  14. Huh? Just plug it in the settings screen pop up by raymorris · · Score: 2

    I wonder what the heck you're talking about the.
    While I would use Apple's phones and tablets, my employers have been issuing me Macbooks the last few years and I always use multiple monitors with no problem. Just plug it in. The settings UI for it couldn't be simpler, in my opinion.

    1. Re:Huh? Just plug it in the settings screen pop up by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

      I wonder what the heck you're talking about the.
      While I would use Apple's phones and tablets, my employers have been issuing me Macbooks the last few years and I always use multiple monitors with no problem. Just plug it in. The settings UI for it couldn't be simpler, in my opinion.

      Exactly.

      Apple has supported multiple monitors clear back to 1984.

      Typical lying AC.

    2. Re:Huh? Just plug it in the settings screen pop up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess you should actually try it sometime. Even the lightning to HDMI adapter in Apples's store has terrible ratings.

      Fuck off.

    3. Re:Huh? Just plug it in the settings screen pop up by mlw4428 · · Score: 1

      I'm using 3 monitors and the Macbook screen. No issues here. Me think you protest too much.

    4. Re:Huh? Just plug it in the settings screen pop up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course you are... quite easy to say without any real details. What port replicator are you using? What OS version?

      FOAD.

  15. These can be flashed to LineageOS by The_Dougster · · Score: 2

    https://wiki.lineageos.org/dev...

    I installed that on my 6p. Its extremely nice if I do say so myself. Had to flash the modem and vendor partitions so heads up.

    --
    Clickety Click ...
    1. Re:These can be flashed to LineageOS by Radical+Moderate · · Score: 1

      Does the Google Fi wifi voice calling work if you're running Lineage?

      --
      Never let a lack of data get in the way of a good rant.
    2. Re:These can be flashed to LineageOS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pretty sure they can also get AEX, which is very close to stock and official images are available for some pretty obscure devices (and unofficial images on the forums for even more obscure ones).

    3. Re:These can be flashed to LineageOS by Malk+McJorma · · Score: 1
      There are already a few Pie-based custom ROMs for 6p available in XDA Developers, including an unofficial early version of LO16.

      https://forum.xda-developers.c...

  16. All Hail Google! by TheFakeTimCook · · Score: 1

    All Hail Google, for deigning to support a "legacy" phone a a whole THREE YEARS after it stopped being sold!

    Meanwhile, iOS 12 not only FULLY SUPPORTS iPhones back to the 5c, but also actually significantly IMPROVES the performance of older iPhones.

    But Google somehow deserves Slashdot's praise for their "effort".

    1. Re:All Hail Google! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Meanwhile, iOS 12 not only FULLY SUPPORTS iPhones back to the 5c

      The final 5c-compatible version was actually iOS 10, because it has a 32-bit A6 SoC, versus the 5s's 64-bit A7.

  17. 6s baby by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My iPhone 6s farts in google's general direction. I get all sorts of updates and my apps still all work. Lol.

  18. Those 5X don't have long to live anyway by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bootloop soon, fellow android owners.

  19. Typo: would = wouldn't by raymorris · · Score: 1

    That should say I wouldn't use an iPad or iPhone.
    Macs are a totally different thing though, different operating system. Mac OS is real Unix.

  20. Nexus 6P by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nexus 6P, replaced my battery ($30) a year ago; just installed Android PIE (StatiXOS). Working great still. The type C plug was one of the best parts I've been enjoying for years; never had to replace the cables that came with it, unlike garbage microusb plugs still around...thank god vendors are finally moving to type C somewhat..

    Heck I still have my HTC Desire HD (release 2010). Bought a couple batteries from China many years ago; since then they were removable... Its actually fine and still working; a bit on the slow side compared to modern models but I use it as a MP3 player since it has decent battery life, bluetooth, and a SD card slot. It would be a good Chromecast remote if I didn't already have my primary phone. (Kitkat installed due to performance degradation in newer roms)

    I'd need to see a serious technological advance to make it compelling to upgrade.

  21. Too bad the Nexus 5X hardware is defective by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is sort of hard to update the phone's OS when it is stuck in a bootloop due to faulty hardware.

    Support for phones is absolutely pathetic.

  22. I really hoped for a Nexus 6 update. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That phone still works great, and the hardware specifications are still better than many other phones.
    Good battery, great camera and screen and CPU is fast enough, too bad it is not secure to use anymore.

  23. Self destruct? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oddly enough my wife's Nexus 5X just went into an endless reboot last night. Mine did about a year ago, fortunately LG fixed it for me.