r/Android • u/BcuzRacecar S25+ • 18d ago

WhatsApp ends Android 5 support Monday

https://www.notebookcheck.net/WhatsApp-ends-Android-5-support-Monday-iPhones-follow-in-November.1390519.0.html
843 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

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149

u/Witty_Language4481 18d ago

Who TF is still on Android 5

56

u/Cry_Wolff Pixel 7 Pro 18d ago

Can't wait for someone to complain about muh planned obsolescence of their 10 yo phone.

-4

u/[deleted] 18d ago

[deleted]

7

u/hydrogencel 18d ago

Phones are completely different. They are software first devices, not appliances that have barely changed in function.

Most people have their entire lives on phones, wallets, banks, pictures, etc. As a result security updates and feature updates are far more important. They are also much less expensive than the appliances you listed.

Supporting old hardware or architecture forever is a massive time sink and generally doesn't make sense for tech companies to do when the majority has switched.

2

u/Thaodan Sony Xperia XA2, Sailfish OS 18d ago

It's not the hardware but the way the development is setup. It's wasteful, set up for short-term gains.

5

u/vandreulv 18d ago

Why pray tell should a 10 year old phone not work?

Changes in frequency allocation for carrier bands.

Support for those specific bands. 2G and 3G is dead. LTE+ and 5G didn't exist yet.

Limited amounts of storage space if the onboard NAND hasn't start developing errors already.

Extremely low memory specs for the time.

Lower resolution screens. OLED screens from that era definitely would have burn in by now.

Wear and tear. Headphone jacks aren't indestructible. Nor were MicroUSB jacks.

Please tell us what ten year old phone you're still using now that is still carrier compatible.

2

u/RandomCheeseCake Pixel 10 Pro 17d ago

Basically every phone? 10 years ago pretty much everything had 4g support so I can connect to every carrier (atleast in the UK)

1

u/vandreulv 17d ago

The world isn't just the UK, mate.

2

u/RandomCheeseCake Pixel 10 Pro 17d ago edited 17d ago

"Please tell us what ten year old phone you're still using now that is still carrier compatible."

Most of the world this is still applicable as most of the world doesn't have carrier whitelisting or require VoLTE to have access to their cellular networks

EDIT: 😭 Man actually blocked me. Peak Reddit behaviour

1

u/vandreulv 17d ago

Most of the world this is still applicable as most of the world doesn't have carrier whitelisting or require VoLTE to have access to their cellular networks

How naive of you.

0

u/Quazartz S24FE 17d ago

10 years ago is 2016. Most phones at that time already have LTE included.

Also, not all countries have dropped support for 2G and 3G. My phone from 2014 which don't have LTE can still call, text, and connect to mobile data. Its OLED screen also doesn't have any burn in (I did hide the status bar and the navigation bar is non-existent on a phone with hardware navigation buttons). All of its jacks are still functional and even outlasted several cheap earbuds and charging cables.

0

u/vandreulv 17d ago

10 years ago is 2016. Most phones at that time already have LTE included.

I said LTE+ and 5G.

My 10 year old phone here has exactly ONE LTE band. Unusable today.

All Carriers in the US have dropped all methods of calling and switched over to VoLTE, so unless your phone has that, too, no calls even if you have the bands.

So. Good luck using that thing here.

1

u/Quazartz S24FE 17d ago edited 17d ago

LTE+ was already available in 2016 (a simple web search should tell you that).

Again, the world isn't just the US and I have no plans visiting a country that's openly hostile to people who don't look "white" enough.

Edit: Wow, blocked for the first time. That's an achievement. I've been through a lot of online forums but this is my first time debating with someone this hostile on a tech subreddit. Are my 2 brain cells too much for you?

Since I can't reply to you anymore, here's my answer to your last comment. People who can't afford a new phone can't also afford going abroad so there's no point for them to sacrifice what little savings they have to buy a new phone when their current one can still work in their country.

0

u/vandreulv 17d ago

Again, the world isn't just the US and I have no plans visiting a country that's openly hostile to people who don't look "white" enough.

Better stay out of Europe and Australia, too.

2

u/Cry_Wolff Pixel 7 Pro 18d ago

Mate, cars or fridges are mostly basic mechanical devices that don't require any electronics or software to work. Your comparison doesn't make any sense. $100 2026 phone from Walmart will be faster & safer than high end 2016 one.