[sdkfjalsdgj]

> Users of android phones have little hope to run a program from 5 years ago

Android is actually much much better than iOS. For some older unmaintained apps I've dug out the APKs and most of them run without major issues, though a scary warning saying it's designed for older versions of Android.

[bitsandboots]

Yeah, not all hope is lost, but good apps do get delisted for not complying with whatever Google dictates on the Play store, so you have to make good backups of content that only exists there! Which is a really great reason to use f-droid instead of course.

[everyone]

I, and clients of mine, have a bunch of stuff on the play stores. google is going bananas recently, aggressively trying to delist every app it seems..

Every few months they force you to upload new builds that use the latest "api level" .. This change makes zero difference to how the app functions.

Its a massive pain updating them and I have let several apps lapse and be taken down cus I couldnt be bothered jumping though googles arbitrary hoops.

Which I guess is google's aim, and also that they are doing this to clear as much space as they can and save a small amount of money on storage, as part of their general enshittification process.

[everdrive]

>Android is actually much much better than iOS.

- Unless you don't want Google to know your location constantly, no matter what setting you use for the GPS chip.

- Unless you want security updates past a year.

[akimbostrawman]

Android does not inherently mean google connections. The most private and secure phone OS GrapehenOS, is based on Android Open Source Project.

Ironically Googles Pixel phones have the longest support of any phone OS with guaranteed at least 7 years of security updates.

[Barrin92]

>- Unless you want security updates past a year.

That's not been the status quo any more for a while since the EU started to mandate several years of OS and security updates. Samsung and I believe Google as well have stated they'll do 7 years of udates.

https://security.samsungmobile.com/workScope.smsb

[hulitu]

> Unless you don't want Google to know your location constantly

On my phone it is off and stays off. Unlike on iOS when it turns itself on.

[spookie]

Sony does at least 4 years of updates.