Samsung will not be forced to update the software on its mobile phones for years after their release, after it won a court case in the Netherlands.
A consumer association had argued that Samsung should update its phones for at least four years after they go on sale.
Regular software updates can address security problems but older models do not typically receive all the latest updates.
However, the court rejected the association’s claims.
The fact that it might be difficult for poor Samsung to update phones weighed heavier than the safety and longevity of devices.
Cool.
I really want to get a Librem phone. I may just do that…
Already ordered mine. Can’t stand proprietary garbage anymore! Android and iOS suck. Neither get the updates they should and the performance is always degraded. Librem should finally have proper adblocking for mobile content too. Bring on the Linux phone.
Edited 2018-05-31 20:55 UTC
I’m seriously considering to move completely onto 100% open OSes whether on the desktop or mobile. Librem is probably the best choice out there and I’ve been really tempted to switch. My only reason for not doing so is that my gear isn’t dead/old yet and I’m the frugal type. But seriously, Purism is so alluring and I really really like the idea of ditching these perpetually updating or perpetually old devices and OSes.
That’s sad, given that the Netherlands is usually saner than places like USA on these types of laws. It’s not like they’re going to lose money either, they could monetize the updates with a subscription, say $20 a year or something like that for extended security.
*SMH*
This is a combination of failure at many levels.
Samsung from the outside appears to be a chronic example of Conway’s law that is heavily driven by Telco exclusive or branded products. An interesting metric that could indicate this would be how many brand specific models exist globally? It appears from the outside that different models have different product management and therefore have radically different components. That’s a huge cost on the software teams within Samsung as every variation is yet another qa, driver etc etc. It seems that in this context Samsung have built themselves a corporate culture that benefits them financially and legally which is fair enough for them… That’s business. But it bites hard on customer support and satisfaction.
This is also a failure of the legal system to understand the potential costs to society for having millions of vulnerable handsets on their infrastructure. The day is coming where android will have their SQL server slammer worm moment. The ramifications of this will be significant as so many critical systems now rely heavily on mobile spectrum.
This is literally one of the things that helped sink BlackBerry, an insane amount of carrier-specific variations for everything, all with different software loads, different testing requirements, etc. etc. forever.
Vote with your wallet ..
(Nokia HMD .. !)
So what if Samsung doesn’t update their phones. Make a point by buying a phone that is guaranteed an update and buy the one with the longest update commitment. Also make sure to ask Samsung sellers how long they keep their phones updated before you buy a phone to drive the point home that you care about updates. Then go around asking your family and friends whether they bought a phone that gets updates or one that might get them hacked in the future. If you pose the question the way I posed it you will evoke people’s emotions to be safe and the envy of having a better device which will push them to ask for and buy a phone that gets updates regularly and for an extended period. Awareness is our ally and the lack of awareness is what is allowing companies like Samsung to get away without updating the phone. There is a broad assortment of phones to buy from: Pixel, LG, Nokia to name the android makers that I can immediately recall.
One of the primary reasons behind phone makers not updating old models is that they didn’t build the update cost in the phones. We have to make our demands heard in order for phone manufacturers to move in that direction.
SO MAKE A LOUD NOISE Y’ALL.
Edited 2018-05-31 22:31 UTC
At least Samsung make it easy to install after market ROMs. I’ve just installed LineageOS a couple S4 Minis, and it was incredibly easy. Just use Odin to overwrite the recovery with TWRP, then install LineageOS from within TRWP.
No oem unlocking required. It could only be easier if it could all be done from within the phone itself. Perhaps that should be the preferred option, just offer people an official app that will install a custom recovery, or even ship a full featured recovery in the stock firmware.
The thing is, I’d like to be able to wipe Android completely and put a different OS on there. Sadly, Samsung does have some of the nicest hardware/features out there, which is really the only reason I buy them.
And exactly how many of the millions of Samsung users could do that? My guess is less than you think.
Sad that Samsung won this case. Updates on Android are shameful. My last Android phone had one update in 23 months. A clear case of it being obsolescent before I bought it.
I bought huawei mediapad m3, it got whole one update after i bought it. No aftermarket roms available. Kinda 400 bucks wasted if you ask me.
My nokia 6 is another news, i had to upgrade my data plan just to keep up with the patches.
I can’t really leave it up to Samsung, anyway. Very few recent phones really have the kind of flexibility I want. I want an extended battery, and the ability to swap and the SD cards. Most phone companies are taking that away.
The best answer I’ve found to ever more locked down, disposable gadgets is to buy refurbished phones found on LineageOS’s list of supported devices.
I bought a Samsung S5 for $120 flat, put LineageOS 14.1 on it, and it’s done me right. It’s clear nobody’s in a hurry to sell a de-bloated, more secure Android 7.x phone for that price, so – we make that happen.
Edited 2018-06-01 18:23 UTC