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Comment by yeswecould | Hacker News Reader

The main Android dealbreaker for me is all the viruses, followed by OS fragmentation and finally the fact there is no privacy protection ( i.e. secure enclave )

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Viruses: doesn't really apply if you just download non shady things from the play store

OS fragmentation: doesn't apply if you're not a developer, just pick a phone that will have a reasonable amount of updates over its lifetime

Privacy protection: really depends how you feel about Google on this one

Presence of a secure element: this one really depends on your threat profile

> Viruses: doesn't really apply if you just download non shady things from the play store

Easier said than done, especially when looking for more obscure apps. Also, it's not easy for non-technical folks to tell the difference...

> OS fragmentation: doesn't apply if you're not a developer, just pick a phone that will have a reasonable amount of updates over its lifetime

How long is "reasonable" relative to iOS? I recently moved from Android to iOS mainly because of this.

> Privacy protection: really depends how you feel about Google on this one

I'm not sure feelings are relevant here. The truth is simply the truth.

> Presence of a secure element: this one really depends on your threat profile

Agreed, but it's good to have the extra security guarantees.

> How long is "reasonable" relative to iOS? I recently moved from Android to iOS mainly because of this.

4 years, basically.

Nexus 6 was supported for all security updates from launch in November 2014 to this month (November 2018). In terms of feature updates, it got up to Android 7.1.1, and I am not aware of any major app that wouldn't run on that today. Not exactly great, but certainly not a new phone per year. I believe Apple's policy is 5 years, rather than 4, with a reported risk of iOS updates purposefully making the original hardware performance worse (e.g. battery life).

Strictly as a geeky side note, if you have the time to spend DIYing your primary mobile OS (which, admittedly, very few people would prefer doing), there are pretty cool third-party Android distros and other OSes that will keep a Nexus 4 (2012, 6 years old) alive and well. Possibly a Galaxy Nexus (2011, 7 years old) too, but I am less sure about that...

Edit: To clarify, what I am saying is that, for most users, iOS' long term support is better than Android's. But, for Google phones and the like, it is only slightly better, not day-and-night better.

Some users buy a new phone every year; for those users I would agree that OS fragmentation is a trivial issue. But if you keep your phone longer, it becomes more important. Many OEMs don't keep their promises to push OTA upgrades in a timely way. Many more OEMs don't make any promises at all. A lack of updates can leave users vulnerable to widely-known attack vectors.

> OS fragmentation: doesn't apply if you're not a developer, just pick a phone that will have a reasonable amount of updates over its lifetime

Can you make a recommendation here? I am an iPhone user who might be inclined to switch to Android, but I still haven't found a phone that would satisfy this criterion. To clarify: "reasonable" for me means ~5 years, as this is how long I expect to keep using the same phone.

What generation of iPhone are you currently using?

I have and enjoy the Pixel 2 and plan on keeping it for at least another two years. The Pixel 3 (non-xl) would be an ideal phone if you are moving from iPhone and are looking for a long term, well-supported phone.

iPhones already don't get full updates. They get progressively trimmed updates as time goes on. Stock android does a similar thing. If you get a Pixel, you get 2 years of OS updates (my Pixel from 2016 is running the latest Android), at least 3 years of security updates, and many software updates in the meantime (most of Android's functionality can be upgraded without an OS update).

FWIW, phones aren't designed to last 5 years. The batteries aren't, the screens aren't, the casing isn't, and the hardware generally doesn't (newer software = more demanding).

That said, if you do require to use the same device for five years, and need the latest software on it, than Apple is probably your only option.

> FWIW, phones aren't designed to last 5 years. The batteries aren't, the screens aren't, the casing isn't, and the hardware generally doesn't (newer software = more demanding).

FWIW I’m typing this on a 4 year old iPhone and I expect it to easily last another year. Battery was replaced once. Modern smart phones are complex, expensive, ressource intensive assemblies. Swapping them out every 2 years is crazy (... and yet common, sadly)

With Google being forced to open up then platform, I expect the viruses and OS fragmentation to get worse as various manufacturers put out half baked software which they don't properly design with security in mind. While even Google has their problems but they do have a seriously strong security team.

> OS fragmentation: doesn't apply if you're not a developer, just pick a phone that will have a reasonable amount of updates over its lifetime

Define reasonable. In order to get Android updates for any amount of time, you mostly have to pick higher end phones. Well, If I am expected to pay laptop prices for a phone, I should be able to keep it for as long as I keep a laptop. Two years of updates isn't cutting it anymore.

OS fragmentation: doesn't apply if you're not a developer, just pick a phone that will have a reasonable amount of updates over its lifetime

So which Android phone could I have bought in 2013 that would still be getting updates like the iPhone 5s?

There really aren't significant virus concerns on Android. This concern has been overblown.

I'm not sure what you mean by OS fragmentation. Different vendors offer their own branches so maybe you will find that you like one vs the other? Some people prefer Samsung's Android, others prefer the stock experience. Its really just a matter of personal preference for most people.

Privacy can definitely be a problem, though. It is getting a little bit better, but the pace of improvement is not great.

The main iOS dealbreaker for me is the lack of strong AI offering. Google's ecosystem is just so good on that front. Siri is not competitive with the google assistant.

I don't have update issues as I only buy Nexus/Pixel. I've yet to encounter a single piece of malware in the years I've been using android, so this seems like an overblown issue. Mind you, I don't download that many apps, just use some of the more mainstream ones.

I believe Google protects my privacy just fine, but I do admire the extra security that iOS has built into the OS. Wish android did better here.

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