Post: #1

My phone is pretty old and still runs on Android 4.4.2. It doesn't get any more patches or updates. It still performs ok and I want to keep using it until it breaks.
I read that security might be an issue, though. My questions is if that's really the case. I never shop or do online banking on my phone. I don't even use it to read my emails. Hence my question, is it really a problem to use a device with an OS that old or is it more like a marketing thing the companies use to sell more phones?

Post: #2

You can easily buy a new android phone for about $50 to $100. My current phone costs $80, with a monthly plan of $35.

As far as old phones, you can always make good use of an old phone. Keep in mind these are basically portable computers. You can use them as MP3 players, to download files, play games and ect. Android phones are a lot more flexible than iPhones.

Post: #3

http://www.xda-developers.com if you feel brave see if your phone model is one that has a custom ROM developed for it, those will have a newer Android version with security patches. However as someone who did this before the newer OS might be slow on the hardware.

Post: #4

(10-08-2017 10:26 PM)DJ-Matt Wrote:  http://www.xda-developers.com if you feel brave see if your phone model is one that has a custom ROM developed for it, those will have a newer Android version with security patches. However as someone who did this before the newer OS might be slow on the hardware.

*2 on XDA. That site will give you a few more years before forced obsolescence takes over.

With that said, what are your expectations on security?

Google designed Android to serve you ads and this was baked in very early on. Take that into consideration for your next device!

Post: #5

I don't really need a newer phone and I'm aware that Google/ Android is spying on my behaviour via my phone. I'm more concerned with the possibilty of getting hacked due to the lack of the newer security patches on my device.

Post: #6

(10-08-2017 10:31 PM)The Beast1 Wrote:  Google designed Android to serve you ads and this was baked in very early on. Take that into consideration for your next device!

I disabled all pre-installed Google apps on my phone. For all other apps, I withdrew most permissions unless they are really needed. I use a VPN as well.
I'll buy a new phone in a few weeks (probably with high end specs), but most manufacturers only produce Android with a lot of bloatware.
While I'm not necessarily looking for a crypto phone, I'd like to own a phone with additional privacy layer.
What would you recommend?

Post: #7

I've had good experiences rooting older phones like the Moto G, then running it on Cyanogen with an ad-blocker. No bloatware, more control.

Post: #8

(10-09-2017 09:07 AM)Selembao Wrote:  

(10-08-2017 10:31 PM)The Beast1 Wrote:  Google designed Android to serve you ads and this was baked in very early on. Take that into consideration for your next device!

I disabled all pre-installed Google apps on my phone. For all other apps, I withdrew most permissions unless they are really needed. I use a VPN as well.
I'll buy a new phone in a few weeks (probably with high end specs), but most manufacturers only produce Android with a lot of bloatware.
While I'm not necessarily looking for a crypto phone, I'd like to own a phone with additional privacy layer.
What would you recommend?

There's a lot more than just the built in apps that you need to disable in order to discourage the Android tracking. Google play services, the app store, and some more I can't recall.

To be honest, if the OP is really not using his phone for email, shopping, or banking then he doesn't really have much to fear if his phone does get hacked which is still a rarity. If you do get a virus, the easiest way to get rid of it is to factory reset the phone. Even with root, this will take the problem away.

My advice? Stick to a phone manufacturer that has a good XDA community or updates their phones very regularly via official channels (Blackberry's android offering). And also just like Windows in the early 2000s, don't go downloading and installing random APK files.