On the screen of our smartphones, it is an alert among many others, which we are tempted to ignore, probably wrongly, because when our mobiles offer us the installation of a software update, with rare exceptions, it’s pretty good to accept it. These updates (updates) the most common are “security plasters,” which are important because they close holes that hackers or malware could use. Those of iOS or Android, annual, bring new ergonomics and software to our smartphones. Their interest has been waning for a few years, but these additions continue to appeal to some techies.
It’s less well known, but iOS and Android updates can also extend the life of a smartphone. Spent four, five or six years without doing so, it may experience problems: some applications may refuse to work, others to install. Even users who dutifully accept them are not immune to worries, as manufacturers cut the tap on updates after two to five years for high-end models, and much faster for others.
A problem that is all the more annoying as smartphone owners try to make it last their device Longer – innovation in electronics idling and the climate emergency growing.
Chinese manufacturers lagging behind
Fortunately, manufacturers are monitoring their devices for longer and longer. Google has, for example, recently ported three to five years the availability of security plasters intended for its Pixel smartphones.
Some brands take the problem very seriously, such as the eponymous manufacturer of the Fairphone 2 released in 2015, which received seven years of security updates and five years of operating system updates (Android). In a blog postthe eco-responsible Dutch brand explains that it would like to do the same for the Fairphone 4 released in 2021, but that it is not sure to achieve this, as it depends on the involvement of one of its sub- contractors, chip maker Qualcomm.
Apple is also a powerhouse, with five years of iOS updates and six or more security updates. On the other side of the spectrum, Chinese manufacturers are much less proactive. THE third biggest seller in France, Xiaomi, only offers two years of Android updates on low-end smartphones sold in large volumes. In the same segment of smartphones at 200 euros, Oppo, the fourth French seller, only offers one.
Realme, a slightly less popular manufacturer in France, declares to the World that the Android update for its entry-level model, the C55, is “in planning”. According to our findings, on the old devices of this Chinese brand, the low-end C21Y model, released in mid-2021, did not receive any Android updates. As for the X50 5G, a top model released in 2020, it only received one.
European regulations
In the future, all brands could extend the duration of software support for certain models, under pressure from the European Commission, which is working on a text called to complete its directive on ecodesign.
The different (public) drafts of this regulation being changing and unclear, it is difficult to predict the exact content of the text and the date on which it will come into force. But according to information from Worldin his last version, the Commission seems to be placing manufacturers in front of an alternative: offer at least five years of operating system (OS) updates and security band-aids, or offer none at all. Manufacturers would be free to make this choice for each of their mobile models. At the risk of small manufacturers abandoning updates for their low-end smartphones, their development having a cost.
Avoid low-end models
While waiting for possible progress, how to avoid software obsolescence? It is better to focus on the best-selling brands in France and around the world: Apple and Samsung. Like any manufacturer, they sometimes release updates that degrade the operation of certain smartphone models. But as they are more scrutinized than the others, these problems are generally corrected.
To escape software obsolescence, it is also better to invest in a medium or high-end smartphone. Its beating heart, the processor, will be more durable than that of a low-end one. In a few years, it will better cash out the updates of the OS, but also those of the applications, even of the Internet sites, which also tend to become heavier from year to year. With a low-end smartphone, there is a great risk of experiencing more and more slowdowns and unpleasant jerks over time.