Phones are getting better support lives these days, but they still physically outlast their software support. How important is that safety net/blanket for you?
I install a custom ROM and use it until its life ends.
Not to sound like a downer but I kinda gave up on custom roms. Few problems:
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Play integrity/Safteynet. On roms like lineage os its a nightmare to maintain this, in the past you could use spoof custom props, but maintainer dropped support for the module. Also using safteynet bypasses typically requires magisk which trips root detection on apps like chase banking (making a annoying cat mouse game). The only work around I found so far is using custom roms with saftey net bypass built in like Pixel experience and Evolution X but those have problems (explained bellow).
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Random reformat requirements (specifically Evolution X). Every 3 months a clean reinstall is required because of changes in underlying os (like ERofs). Sure tools like Migrate and SwiftBackup can help simplify but resetting things is a pain. Its worse if you use android wear device (like galaxy watch) since every reset means a manditory reset of the watch aswell. This also kinda leaves you in a place where if you need to reset and say your close to the next major android release is it worth resetting or waiting for the next version of android to drop since ANOTHER reset may be needed.
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Toxicty in XDA/telegram. Idk if its just me but sometimes on telegram people just feel angrier?
Example conversation (good and bad interaction). Background context I was using evolution x and maitainer stepped down. I was considering switching to pixel experience but wanted to ask about evo x maintiner leaving since was wondering if it was due to a technical issue and if said technical issue might impact pixel experience.
Question with good interaction:
Follow up hostile reaction from a different user (I didn’t add any new context/messages from first message):
I will admit I may have gone slightly off topic and may have been a bit premtive in asking the question (since a new maintainer picked up the torch within 2-3 hrs), but in the past with pixel experience when the maintainer quit no new maintainers came for 3-5 months (and safteynet broke during that duration).
Sorry if this post kinda sounds grumbly. I want to like custom roms. I’m still using the Feb version of Evo X since its feature set is arguably better than oneplus oxygen os but it kinda becomes a trade off do you want more features and more maintences or accept limited number of new featuers (for only 2-3 years) but with less overall maintence.
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I am not planning on saving any nuclear launch code on my phone any time soon, so I’ll use it untill it lasts. The end of life is more of a “dont fix the phone if it breaks from now on” date for me.
As long as I need to, but it is definitely a relatively good reason for me to upgrade if there is a big sale or there is some other component that break.
For example I drived a oneplus 7T unsupported for around half a year before the sreen broke. So I never bothered to fix the screen and got a pixel (5 years of monthly update baby!).
I’ve never had a phone’s hardware last that long. The charging port almost always gets fucked after just a couple years.
That is quite an achievement too be honest, havent had a charging port fail on me since phones switched to usb c.
I actually think the USB-C ports are worse than the micro with the phones I’ve had. They have a lotta play in them with how the cable can still move up and down. The little tab it’s connecting to gets worn out from it. At least the micro connector locked into place and wouldn’t jiggle anything.
When I had Android, I regularly used phones past the point that they got security updates. Even a supposedly premium phone was hobbled by carriers/networks not releasing updates and cheaper phones didn’t have them for long.
Since moving to iPhone (where the 6S is still getting security updates ) I haven’t had a phone long enough for the updates to stop.
Until the battery croaks. I tried replacing a battery once to prolong my phone and it is definitely not worth it. A phone should work well beyond their software support just as long as you don’t install anything shady
