Why so dismissive of how somebody wants to re-use an old phone that you would compare them to the absurd fictitious behavior in that comic? Would you rather they become e-waste? If it fits their needs then it fits their needs regardless of the use-case that was marketed.
Eventually, the android phones of today will be old android phones.
It's a Google Play Services update, likely explicitly to be able to push it to all (Google-using) Android phones immediately, without waiting for OS updates. This will not be a "Guess I'll get it in a few years" update.
I generally like XKCD but dislike the message in this comic. If that's that guy's workflow, they don't have to actively support it, but he should be given the option to disable updates so he can continue to use his tools in the way he sees fit.
The comic doesn’t say anything about mandatory updates, and it’s EMACS. The user can install whatever version they like.
Yeah that's fair lol. But I guess in the context of this discussion, Google can push stuff onto your phone with Google Play whether you want it or not.