What phone you use as your daily driver? And, a discussion of them.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Android security patch level

March 1, 2023

WTF?!

 

[Space Lynx]

WTF?!

yeah verizon releases them every month for their customers, I saw an april one for yours in the link i posted... unless i had the wrong phone?

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

yeah verizon releases them every month for their customers, I saw an april one for yours in the link i posted... unless i had the wrong phone?

Seems uncalled for, as Android updates rarely even fail! It's not Windows 10 and 11, where I have to babysit updates! (possibly moreso with Windows 7 and 8x if using Windows Update, because errors seem common!)

Do you ever remember Android abruptly telling you that it can't complete an update? I never did, that's the meme of Windows!

 

[tabascosauz]

That's a double-edged sword. Frequent updates are prone to frequent f$%^ups. Xiaomi tried that back when Android One was still relevant (for both One and MiUI phones), and it was usually the same sequence of events: a security/feature patch, a bug in the patch, and a patch for a patch.
Also, while I am not a big fan of Samsung, I still have to give them props for long-time device support. Just 2 days ago sold one of my dreaded rescuees - Galaxy A71. This phone got android 13 last year, even though it's much older than my current Poco F3, and what's even more surprising - it still gets updates wa-a-a-ay more frequently than my daily driver. Hell, I'm still on Android 12 with no major updates on the horizon.
Samsung has lots of aspects to hate them for(cheap build quality on anything but flagships, bad engineering, short-living batteries, difficult repairability etc.), but updates is not one of them.

Honestly though, since Xiaomi is open about their warranty policy and it's so easy to unlock bootloader and flash anything you like, I don't view Samsung's recent frequent updates as a plus, more a necessity given how hard Sammy always locks everything down. I know that they are different now, but I've been let down one too many times by the old Samsung.

The F3 is dev heaven, so you're missing out on basically the whole phone if you're locked stock. MIUI is terrible.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

I know that they are different now, but I've been let down one too many times by the old Samsung.

Which one let you down the most? Was it the Galaxy S5 or shortly after? (or before)

 

[Space Lynx]

Seems uncalled for, as Android updates rarely even fail! It's not Windows 10 and 11, where I have to babysit updates! (possibly moreso with Windows 7 and 8x if using Windows Update, because errors seem common!)

Do you ever remember Android abruptly telling you that it can't complete an update? I never did, that's the meme of Windows!

you pay for you get I guess, we both go with budget companies, not Verizon, hence we have to wait lol

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

Which one let you down the most? Was it the Galaxy S5 or shortly after? (or before)

Seems like Samsung got better with the Galaxy S10.

 

[tabascosauz]

Seems like Samsung got better with the Galaxy S10.

S5 was my last Sammy phone. See, I get that they're good with updates now, but I haven't cared about official updates for years, not when there are already a dozen different fully featured and stable ROMs that are on the new update, which I can flash within the hour.

It is nice that the Samsung of today seems to have taken a much more lenient and normal approach to modding.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Seems like Samsung got better with the Galaxy S10.

S20 series and newer only. The S10 series still have the old update policy were recently abandoned on Android 12. Phone aged like sour milk. I've had some issues with mine, which ended up resolved by a battery replacement... but it just doesn't hold up. The screen is as gorgeous as ever, but the Exynos 9820 SoC is a joke in bad taste. Lucky those who have a regional Snapdragon 855 variant.

I purchased a Z Flip 3 as an upgrade. It's a great phone as far as performance goes, snappy, gorgeous screen (despite the crease in the middle), but it doesn't inspire me confidence. This thing is fragile and even though I take exceptional care of my devices I give it another year before the screen inevitably breaks and I have to buy another phone. Even the third generation foldable just feels like a fancy prototype instead. Long-term review is, don't buy one. It's lovely at first but it has serious problems and critical design flaws that will certainly disappoint over time.

Leaving 5G enabled, especially in an area where the signal is poor (which is pretty much everywhere where I live) causes the phone to overheat and freeze/shutdown, and after roughly 6 months of ownership, the built-in screen protector (which Samsung does not allow you to remove and replace, doing so will void warranty) has begun to come off, guess where? Exactly in the damn fold. It's almost as if the device has a known vice and they went with it anyway. Worst part - to get it fixed I need to send it in to a Samsung store, and what should be a 5 minute over the counter fix (install a new PET film), is gonna take several business days because they have to order the damn part to begin with.

I'm hoping that the EU forcing Apple's hand and the rumor that iOS 17 will support sideloading is true. I'm definitely not looking back.

 

[oxrufiioxo]

S5 was my last Sammy phone. See, I get that they're good with updates now, but I haven't cared about official updates for years, not when there are already a dozen different fully featured and stable ROMs that are on the new update, which I can flash within the hour.

It is nice that the Samsung of today seems to have taken a much more lenient and normal approach to modding.

The S5 was so bad I switched to apple for a couple generations lol... Samsung has been pretty great for me since my Note 9.

 

[tabascosauz]

The S5 was so bad I switched to apple for a couple generations lol... Samsung has been pretty great for me since my Note 9.

Exact same here lol. Though I soon came out again since there are a couple apps I use that necessitate staying with Android.

I think I might ditch the F3 soon. Maybe will go Oneplus again. F3 and SD870 is great but I've learned my lesson to be careful around international phones that don't have all the right LTE bands, horrible data reception all the time (full bars but literally no connection).

 

[Dr. Dro]

The S5 was so bad I switched to apple for a couple generations lol... Samsung has been pretty great for me since my Note 9.

The biggest problems with the Galaxy S5 IMO were that 2 GB of RAM was already little back then - the Snapdragon 801 variant used in it overheated quite badly and that the screen was incredibly prone to burn in. I still have mine here somewhere, but I stopped using it because the upper half of the screen burned in so badly that the notification area was dim and the rest of the upper screen had basically yellowed over time. Very bad case of burn in, and the device isn't at all fixable at a reasonable cost.

The Xperia Z2 was a much better phone at the time, I had one... wish Sony hadn't left the Brazilian market. With LG gone, it's pretty much split between Apple and Samsung on the premium end, with Xiaomi and Motorola duking it out for the rest of the market.

Exact same here lol. Though I soon came out again since there are a couple apps I use that necessitate staying with Android.

I think I might ditch the F3 soon. Maybe will go Oneplus again. F3 and SD870 is great but I've learned my lesson to be careful around international phones that don't have all the right LTE bands, horrible data reception all the time (full bars but literally no connection).

Kimovil has a good global frequency checker if you want to buy an international/global phone, especially those that come from China. It seems it's mostly the US and Canada that have restrictions in globally used bands, for example, the Poco F3 is quite compatible with the Brazilian network:

 

[Luke357]

S5 was my last Sammy phone. See, I get that they're good with updates now, but I haven't cared about official updates for years, not when there are already a dozen different fully featured and stable ROMs that are on the new update, which I can flash within the hour.

It is nice that the Samsung of today seems to have taken a much more lenient and normal approach to modding.

Do banking apps still work with custom ROMs? I know magisk used to be able to make them work but it's been a while since I checked.

 

[physicsjunky]

iḿ daily driving an ROG Phone 6 after having and an iphone 7 plus since 2017.

 

[de.das.dude]

I like stuff that last , like my 3770k i retired last week.

i usually buy my phone and my kids phone in Aliexpress, last phone i bought was a UleFone 7 Armor.
i work as Contractor and i need a tuff beast.
Endurance video here

Spec´s not bad either, if you can get the auto zoom to behave
Ex. 1 me Ex. 2 a job Ex. 3 fully zoomed in on job ( i can see my self in the bathroom mirror
I bought it at launch for 265$ in 2019, still dont have one single scratch. So i´m very happy with this, and battery still works great, i charge it in 2-3 days cycle.
Specs:

CPU: Helio P90
GPU: IMG PowerVR GM 9446
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB
Screen size: 6.3-inch
Resolution: 1080 x 2340
Weight: 290g
Dimensions: 81 mm x 165.86 mm x 13.55 mm
Rear camera: 48MP + 16MP + 8MP
Front camera: 16MP
OS: Android 9
Battery: 5.5Ah

the issue with Chinese phones isnt the hardware, but the backdoors for the CCP, which is why they are able to sell them cheap

Been pondering about Google Pixel, for this reason! Because the updates for my Samsung Galaxy S10+ & U.S. Cellular, are delayed! At least, it sure looks that way, when I look up the Android update information!

In Android's relevant information page.

But I wasn't cut off as soon as I was with the Galaxy S5, (from 2014) which has disappointments, despite being an excellent phone! (One is that you need a third-party app to use the LED light as a flashlight, which I thought was ridiculous, even back in 2016, when I got it used.)

Galaxy S5=A paltry 3 years of updates.

past galaxys were pretty crappy. Samsung have been making decent phones only quite recently. imho. since around 2017 ish,

 

[lexluthermiester]

Do banking apps still work with custom ROMs? I know magisk used to be able to make them work but it's been a while since I checked.

Sure, why wouldn't they? I run LineageOS on three on my devices(2 phones, 1 laptop). No problems.

 

[tabascosauz]

Do banking apps still work with custom ROMs? I know magisk used to be able to make them work but it's been a while since I checked.

Safetynet is usually more a problem for root, which magisk requires. On devices like F3, you can have most things (fastboot, TWRP, ROMs) without touching root, only bootloader unlock needed. I think there are still some ROMs that have problems passing safetynet, but not the most high profile and popular ROMs.

I was keen on experimenting in the first year of having the F3, but afterwards settled on ArrowOS with which I've stayed through I think 2 or 3 major Android versions. No safetynet problems.

 

[lexluthermiester]

Safetynet is usually more a problem for root

That's just to bad. Root is required for full admin control of a device and many apps power users like myself require(firewall, sys config access, backup utilities) need root to work properly. I will NEVER use Android without Root. Far from alone on that point.

ArrowOS

ArrowOS is pretty good. I settled on LineageOS because it had a much great spread of supported devices and for the devices I use, there is still ongoing support(Android 13 with the last security patch dated March 3th 2023).

 

[Deleted member 229121]

Wife just installed the 16.4.1.(a) rapid security update (iPhone 14 Pro) and it completely tanks WiFi.

Couldn't even tell her what the update was for since there are no release notes.
So no WiFi or remove the update and live with whatever vulverability they're worried about right now.

Anyone here with an iPhone experience that or know some kind of work around?

 

[Psychoholic]

Wife just installed the 16.4.1.(a) rapid security update (iPhone 14 Pro) and it completely tanks WiFi.

Couldn't even tell her what the update was for since there are no release notes.
So no WiFi or remove the update and live with whatever vulverability they're worried about right now.

Anyone here with an iPhone experience that or know some kind of work around?

14 Pro here, nothing changed for me after the update.
Maybe try a to "reset network settings" ?

 

[Deleted member 229121]

^ Good call, worth a shot at least.

 

[tabascosauz]

That's just to bad. Root is required for full admin control of a device and many apps power users like myself require(firewall, sys config access, backup utilities) need root to work properly. I will NEVER use Android without Root. Far from alone on that point.

ArrowOS is pretty good. I settled on LineageOS because it had a much great spread of supported devices and for the devices I use, there is still ongoing support(Android 13 with the last security patch dated March 3th 2023).

I can definitely relate to the no-root-no-life mentality but in recent years I have been demanding less and less of my phone and valuing stability more and more. On a lot of my past phones root was a prerequisite for flashing, but not always it seems.

Lately been eyeing the Poco F5 and Pixel 7a. F3 battery is still strong so maybe I'll do some ol fashioned tinkering if I make the jump and relegate the F3 to an audio player.

 

[lexluthermiester]

So no WiFi or remove the update and live with whatever vulverability they're worried about right now.

This. Nothing is so critical as to justify doing without critical functionality.

 

[Dr. Dro]

The biggest problem with rooting a modern phone is their hardware security system. For example, if you flash an unsigned binary onto a modern Samsung Galaxy phone, it'll permanently trip the Knox eFuse and your phone will never be considered trustable or trustworthy again, even if you revert to an official binary.

Couple that the only fix is motherboard replacement with married parts (Apple isn't the only one doing it), and you pretty much must replace the entire device.

 

[lexluthermiester]

For example, if you flash an unsigned binary onto a modern Samsung Galaxy phone, it'll permanently trip the Knox eFuse and your phone will never be considered trustable or trustworthy again, even if you revert to an official binary.

This is total and complete nonsense. Bullshit is another term. If Unix, BSD, Linux and Windows are all considered "trustable" with admin authoritatives easily gained, Android(a variant of Linux) with SU is too. This moronic idea that a rooted phone can't be trusted makes as much sense as a screen door on a submarine and has no merit whatsoever. It's a case of industry pundits trying to tirck everyone into thinking something when it is completely incorrect and untrue.