Just checked the wikipedia page today and it says that it’s “Unsupported”.
When did that happened, isn’t it currently the most used Android version?
“unsupported” kinda means nothing in that context. 99% of Apps still will run without issues, you can use the latest Chromium and Firefox based browsers, Play Services are all up to date - so really there is nothing to worry about.
In my opinion Android 6 is the latest really “unsupported” version. With a good chunk of Apps not working anymore and the latest Chromium browsers not working anymore either.
Awesome isn’t it? My 2 year old lenovo tablet is already no longer supported.
That’s not Google’s/Android’s fault, it’s your device’s manufacturer’s fault. Nothing stopping Lenovo from releasing updates for 5-10 years if they want, they just want you to believe it’s obsolete and hope you’ll buy a new one from them. I mean, it’s a Lenovo, what did you expect?
The ultimate proof it’s manufacturer laziness is that custom ROMs like LineageOS have updates out before the manufacturer does, if ever. I have a Galaxy S7 working just fine on Android 13, upgrade all the way from Android 7. Still runs smoother than the OS it came with too.
It could fall on the chipmakers also. I’m only familiar with Qualcomm, but they provide the kernel and blobs to manufacturers.
The work required to extend the life of an abandoned platform can grow very fast once up stream drops support.
My lenovo laptop is also unsupported(it still receives software updates, I just pushed it off a table)
My wife keeps telling me she’s feeling unsupported.
Did you push her off a table, too?
When did that happened?
Looks like 4 months ago. https://endoflife.date/android
Isn’t it currently the most used Android version?
According to this source, as of Jan 23, no. 10 is at 18.01%, which is beat by both 11 (23.15%) and 12 (25.29%). This is why you buy a phone with good support, and update your OS. They can’t support everything forever. Progress happens, security changes, and they can’t always backport the fixes, which also takes their talent away from evolving the OS. https://www.statista.com/statistics/921152/mobile-android-version-share-worldwide/
Personally, I get Pixels and install GrapheneOS. They get 5 years of support.
Is there anything you miss from Android while using GrapheneOS?
I don’t miss Android Auto as I never used it on stock, but I get others do. I miss Google Wallet’s tap-and-pay on the off chance I forget my wallet or not wanting to pull it out, but that’s a convenience thing and it’s not hard to pay with a physical card instead. That’s really it for me, to be honest.
5 years of official support, typically custom ROMs keep it alive even longer, basically until it’s too hard to keep fixing broken features.
They could keep it alive past five years if they really wanted, but that goes against the goal of the project: namely security. But five years is already longer than most manufacturers do, so it’s nothing to turn your nose up at.
“GrapheneOS aims to provide reasonably private and secure devices. It cannot do that once device support code like firmware, kernel and vendor code is no longer actively maintained. Even if the community was prepared to take over maintenance of the open source code and to replace the rest, firmware would present a major issue, and the community has never been active or interested enough in device support to consider attempting this. Unlike many other platforms, GrapheneOS has a much higher minimum standard than simply having devices fully functional, as they also need to provide the expected level of security.”