How long should you keep your phone before upgrading? For smartphones, the answer isn’t about physical age (except when the user wants some new phone capabilities) and more about what kind of software the phone can run and whether the latest known vulnerabilities have been patched.
In this regard, the best iPhones and the best Android phones differ greatly, although the gap between the two is narrowing.
Mobile device security lies more in the software than it is in the hardware. This is because devices change more slowly and the types of attacks that have been most prevalent in the past few years have focused on stealing funds and credentials rather than exploiting hardware flaws according to Sophos Canada’s senior security advisor, Chet Wisniewski.
Wisniewski also said that smartphone users tend to let their phones update their software automatically, when they can. This is especially true for iPhones but issues can appear as your smartphone gets older, especially if it’s an Android device.
How Long Can You Use Your Old iPhone Safely?
Apple supports its smartphones for at least five years after the model is released although sometimes it can be longer. During that time, the iPhone will get the latest iOS versions as well as the latest patches for known vulnerabilities. This is pretty generous considering the fact that most people get a new smartphone every two to three years.
For example, if you use a file iPhone 6 (Released September 2015) It can be difficult to upgrade to iOS 14. However, you will still be able to use iOS 13 released in 2019.
Oldest iPhone ever iOS 15 can run is iPhone 6s From September 2015. While we were almost certain that this device wouldn’t be able to run iOS 15, Apple surprised us by giving the old device (along with the original iPhone SE) another year of life.
There are not many iOS systems yet Malware Available and your chances of getting an infection are lower than those on an Android smartphone, even with an iPhone that is more than seven years old. However, it’s better to be safe than sorry, especially when Apple makes upgrading to the latest operating system easy and convenient.
according to Apple private numbers (Opens in a new tab)As of January 2022, approximately 72 percent of iPhone users had upgraded to iOS 15 and were receiving periodic security updates (on devices less than five years old). It may be a case of Apple not wanting to reveal how many people are still safely using their old iPhones.
How long can you safely use an old Android phone?
Measuring the limits of safe Android phone usage can be more difficult, because Android phones are not as standardized as iPhones.
Two years ago, an Android phone would not receive any more security updates if it was more than three years old, provided that it could even get all the updates before then. Three years later, you had better get a new phone.
This has now changed. Google, Samsung, and chip maker Qualcomm will all commit in late 2020 and early 2021 to provide four years of security updates for some devices.
Google later raised that to five years of security updates for the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro phones, although the devices, like all Pixel phones, will only get three years of Android OS updates.
For Qualcomm, that means that all phones with Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets, starting with the Snapdragon 888 that appeared in several flagships in 2021, will get four years of security updates and three Android version upgrades.
Eligible phones include Xiaomi Mi 11, OnePlus 9 and Samsung Galaxy S21.
As for Samsung, it now guarantees four years of security updates for all Samsung Galaxy phones released in 2019 and beyond, starting with the Galaxy 10 series and Galaxy Note 10. This includes Galaxy phones that don’t use Qualcomm chips.
In general, the product cycle on Android phones is less consistent than that of the iPhone. There are hundreds of smartphone makers using (and changing) Android. It is still uncertain, for example, whether the old phone will be running the latest OS version two years after the phone was introduced.
Only Google’s Pixel devices are guaranteed to get the latest Android security updates on the day the updates are released, though the latest Samsung, OnePlus, and Motorola devices are often left behind. Google has Timeline of how long each Pixel device will get updates (Opens in a new tab) on his support site.
For example, the current version of Android, Android 12, released in October 2021, will not work on phones with less than 2GB of RAM. Also, Android 12 is not supported on the Google Pixel 3, which was released in October 2018.
However, the original Pixel, which was released with Android 7 Nougat in October 2016, got Android 10 in September 2019, and the latest official Android security updates in December of that year.
The Pixel 2, released in October 2017, got its last official update in December 2020, but it can be updated to Android 11. (Those who purchased Google’s Preferred Care plan got updates until April 2021). Their phones alive should check OS . pedigree (Opens in a new tab) The project, which moves Android updates to older devices.
Samsung Security Update Scheme (Opens in a new tab) He explains that the company already offers a longer support period than Google does, even with pre-2019 models. You might get nearly four years of updates with older Samsung versions.
For example, the Samsung Galaxy S8 was released in April 2017 with updates. But the Lite version, which was released a few months later, still receives semi-annual security updates as of March 2022. Both phones ship with Android 7 Nougat and can be upgraded to Android 10.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, which were released in March 2018, were on the path of Samsung’s quarterly update as of March 2022, although they only arrive on Android 10 officially. They will likely have several more months of security updates, as phones often go the semi-annual update path before support stops completely.
The oldest Samsung Galaxy phones to enter the monthly update cycle are the Galaxy 10 series and Galaxy Note 10, both launched in the first half of 2019. According to Samsung’s recent support statement, they should be good for use until mid-2023.
Another problem with Android devices is that older versions of the Android operating system last longer than they should, as phone makers often ship second-tier or lower-cost phones without the latest Android version.
For this reason, many users start from the back and fall back further as manufacturers, carriers, and users themselves fail to perform system updates.
In February 2022, per statista (Opens in a new tab)Android 11 was running on 37% of Android devices, Android 10 had 24% of the market share, and Android 9 Pie had 12% of the share. However, the current Android 12 was not running on enough phones to score.
That’s only about 60% of Android devices get regular updates, at least in theory. However, it’s much better than what we saw in April 2017, when only a third of Android devices were running a supported operating system.
This leaves up to 40% of Android devices around the world running older versions that no longer receive security updates. These phones, numbering hundreds of millions of them, were and still are not safe to use.
Google generally supports the previous two versions of Android along with the current version. So in March 2022, that meant Android versions 12, 11, and 10 get security updates when they’re installed on Pixel phones and other phones whose makers provide those updates.
How long can you safely use an old ‘dumb’ cell phone?
One might actually be safer by using a cell phone that predates smartphones, or a “featured” phone of the last day, rather than an old smartphone.
“I absolutely like the idea of carrying a ‘dumb’ phone from the late ’90s instead of a smartphone today,” said Graham Cluley, a security analyst who has worked in the field for more than 20 years.
“If all I want is [the phone] What to do is send text messages and make calls, it’s possible that not only will he have little fear of malware – he’ll also have a much better battery life to boot. “
An old Nokia candy bar or foldable phone, which lacks a browser, will be safe from most internet-based attacks, as it will be effectively invisible to internet-connected devices. But this safety eliminates the ability to do anything online, too.
Unfortunately, these old phones are not at risk, because old malware never goes away.
“There is still code on older phones, and it may have been virtually abandoned and therefore not fixed,” said Steve Santorelli, director of analysis and communications at Florida-based threat intelligence firm Tim Cymru, Lake Mary. “We are still seeing newly discovered problems that have already been around for many years, but only discovered by researchers.”
The reason stupid old phones are less vulnerable is because they are no longer attractive targets, not because of any inherent superiority.
You can consider one of the latest feature phones, such as the Nokia 2720 V Flip or its cool cousin, Nokia 3310 (Opens in a new tab). Both run on Android.
The right way to deal with old phones
Santorelli said, “The alternative, and arguably the best option, is to have a smartphone, but make sure it is fully patched with one of the best password managers, and a user with some awareness of threats and ways to protect against them. Two-factor authentication will often keep you out of trouble. .”
In this sense, Santorelli said, the patches are important, even for third-party applications that are not part of the operating system.
“Every mobile OS and most apps will come out with patches all the time,” he said. “Researchers find vulnerabilities in software and developers fix them, hopefully, before too many hackers start using them to compromise your system.”
So, update these apps every time the Google Play or iOS app stores tell you. Accept upgrades to the latest operating system versions as they arrive. Install and use one of the best antivirus apps for Android on your Android device. (Sorry, but this doesn’t exist for iOS.)
And if your smartphone is no longer receiving operating system updates or security patches, it’s time to move on. Here is the safest way to get rid of an old smartphone.
Updated with new OS versions, phone models and stats. This story was first published in April 2017.
read the following: The European Union may force Android phone makers to provide better updatesAnd more repair options
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