Do you guys update your phone?

[razor's edge]

hey guys, i am currently using a note 10. just wondering if i should update my phone given the negative news about updates possibly slowing down the phone or that the new updates may cause overload on the software and create issues.

any thoughts on this?

 

[gapboy]

security vulnerabilities and bug fixes, so it is a must to update when you can .... same like a PC you have to do windows update.

 

[Ye_Rongtian]

If you don't do any important things on your phone and only care about the speed, don't update. You won't be able to continue using any important stuff like singpass, banking app, etc anyway if u don't update

 

[firesong]

hey guys, i am currently using a note 10. just wondering if i should update my phone given the negative news about updates possibly slowing down the phone or that the new updates may cause overload on the software and create issues.

any thoughts on this?

Definitely. Updates are important, especially those that fix security vulnerabilities.

We do so much with our phones these days - they are single-device access to our online accounts and personal identity (Singpass, 2FA, etc), credit cards (payment systems), banking tokens (banking apps now use the phone as second authenticators), along with other transactions and online day to day activities. A bug that compromises any of those can have consequences.

It's why it makes no sense to use jailbroken phones or 3rd party firmware now, especially since the more secure of these apps check against the integrity of the phone before allowing run - for a good reason.

I won't buy a phone unless it has 1) at least 2 years of security updates guaranteed, and 2) back-end security at the OS-manufacturer level like Google Play Services for Android. Also, I am wary about custom skins for Android now, since some are better than others. Samsung's OneUI is still fairly decent and cohesive, and the Koreans do care about security enough as a culture.

Perhaps some don't care - there's always this "aiyah i'm not so important that anyone would hack me" complacency. Singaporeans in general do not take security seriously - just look at all the data leaks in recent months: Singtel, vHive, Starhub, etc... Eventually when it becomes a real problem for users, it would be too late.

 

[1982-1994]

Whenever I'm using Samsung, first thing to do is to install disabler package Pro to disable the firmware update
I believe in sticking to the stock firmware keeps the battery life optimum

 

[Habrosus]

I got samsengphobic after that fateful update to my Note 9, now gone fully-iPhone. You say leh?

 

[keenklee]

hey guys, i am currently using a note 10. just wondering if i should update my phone given the negative news about updates possibly slowing down the phone or that the new updates may cause overload on the software and create issues.

any thoughts on this?

IMHO.
To date, there are 14 updates for Note10+. If every update does that, the phone will be super slow by now.
I have "access" to 3 sets of Note10+ that had 14 updates and 2 sets of Note9 that had 17 updates - except the inconveniences of the UI updates, so far so good.

 

[razor's edge]

IMHO.
To date, there are 14 updates for Note10+. If every update does that, the phone will be super slow by now.
I have "access" to 3 sets of Note10+ that had 14 updates and 2 sets of Note9 that had 17 updates - except the inconveniences of the UI updates, so far so good.

Interesting. Thanks guys. Hmm still unsure but will prob go for it. Hope it does not slow down the phone or cause battery issues. But I guess not too ex to change to a new battery. In any case I don't fast charge my phone so sld be ok I hope haha

 

[firesong]

I think the idea of updates slowing down your phones is an old one, particularly because Apple did it when battery life deteriorated. However, since the class action suit happened, they were ordered to stop doing it. Any vendors that continue to do that will risk a class action law suit in the USA, not something anyone can afford.

Instead, what's more likely to happen is that the newer apps continue to demand more and more resources. That's the reality. Rather than program efficiently, they just assume phones have X processor and Y amount of RAM and just go with it. You notice this a lot with newer Android apps. It's actually less visible on iOS since the memory and processor are known, and they keep to very strict programming APIs to minimise app footprint. Here's the proof of it: current apps can still run reasonably well even on my old spare iPhone 7 from 2016, but will likely not run reasonably on 2016 Android phones. In some cases, it's because the 2016 phones don't have current OS updates.

To get an idea of what Android phones were out in 2016, you have the Huawei Mate 9, Samsung S7/Note 7, OnePlus 3, I think they maxed out on Android 8 IIRC.

 

[keenklee]

Interesting. Thanks guys. Hmm still unsure but will prob go for it. Hope it does not slow down the phone or cause battery issues. But I guess not too ex to change to a new battery. In any case I don't fast charge my phone so sld be ok I hope haha

I share the battery life concern.
I am experimenting with not fast charging. slow charging to about 85% and flight mode before bed.
Device Care battery tells me a full charge will last about 2d 2h. - maybe I am not a heavy user.

P.S. Adaptive Battery - ON, Enhanced processing - OFF.

 

[ukyo100]

when there is a patch just update.. don't care.. but back up first before major update...

 

[keenklee]

when there is a patch just update.. don't care.. but back up first before major update...

Still trying to find the best way to backup 100Gb to 200GB.....

 

[Multiversal]

Definitely. Updates are important, especially those that fix security vulnerabilities.

We do so much with our phones these days - they are single-device access to our online accounts and personal identity (Singpass, 2FA, etc), credit cards (payment systems), banking tokens (banking apps now use the phone as second authenticators), along with other transactions and online day to day activities. A bug that compromises any of those can have consequences.

It's why it makes no sense to use jailbroken phones or 3rd party firmware now, especially since the more secure of these apps check against the integrity of the phone before allowing run - for a good reason.

I won't buy a phone unless it has 1) at least 2 years of security updates guaranteed, and 2) back-end security at the OS-manufacturer level like Google Play Services for Android. Also, I am wary about custom skins for Android now, since some are better than others. Samsung's OneUI is still fairly decent and cohesive, and the Koreans do care about security enough as a culture.

Perhaps some don't care - there's always this "aiyah i'm not so important that anyone would hack me" complacency. Singaporeans in general do not take security seriously - just look at all the data leaks in recent months: Singtel, vHive, Starhub, etc... Eventually when it becomes a real problem for users, it would be too late.

I am one of those who say that. Who wants to hack my phone? I am using a China phone...not top of the line Huawei but a cheaper brand. But I do update my Apps whenever it prompted me because I like to watch them download and install, one by one.

 

[Gaminator]

Interesting. Thanks guys. Hmm still unsure but will prob go for it. Hope it does not slow down the phone or cause battery issues. But I guess not too ex to change to a new battery. In any case I don't fast charge my phone so sld be ok I hope haha

The only company that does that, and secretly slow down your phone is one with a certain fruit name. Yes, they have a valid reason but chose to keep quiet, leading many to upgrade their phones believing their older phones were obsolete. It was only when they were outted that they came 'clean'. Well, that's the fruit company for you!

I have a Note 10+ and a Z Fold 2, I have updated each and every time I'd been prompted to do so, I do not notice any slowdown and such.

 

[firesong]

The only company that does that, and secretly slow down your phone is one with a certain fruit name. Yes, they have a valid reason but chose to keep quiet, leading many to upgrade their phones believing their older phones were obsolete. It was only when they were outted that they came 'clean'. Well, that's the fruit company for you!

I have a Note 10+ and a Z Fold 2, I have updated each and every time I'd been prompted to do so, I do not notice any slowdown and such.

Actually, Samsung has also been fined by regulatory bodies for slowing phones with firmware updates. It's also been reported in the news, just overshadowed by the Apple news cos that lawsuit is from multiple sources/countries so the news exploded more.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-and-samsung-fined-for-slowing-down-phones-with-updates/
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/oct/24/apple-samsung-fined-for-slowing-down-phones
So to say that Apple is the only company is not quite accurate.

 

[Gaminator]

Okay, noted....

 

[Teo Ming Ern]

I think the idea of updates slowing down your phones is an old one, particularly because Apple did it when battery life deteriorated. However, since the class action suit happened, they were ordered to stop doing it. Any vendors that continue to do that will risk a class action law suit in the USA, not something anyone can afford.

Instead, what's more likely to happen is that the newer apps continue to demand more and more resources. That's the reality. Rather than program efficiently, they just assume phones have X processor and Y amount of RAM and just go with it. You notice this a lot with newer Android apps. It's actually less visible on iOS since the memory and processor are known, and they keep to very strict programming APIs to minimise app footprint. Here's the proof of it: current apps can still run reasonably well even on my old spare iPhone 7 from 2016, but will likely not run reasonably on 2016 Android phones. In some cases, it's because the 2016 phones don't have current OS updates.

To get an idea of what Android phones were out in 2016, you have the Huawei Mate 9, Samsung S7/Note 7, OnePlus 3, I think they maxed out on Android 8 IIRC.

My experience like a bit different leh... my mother's S7 Edge can run almost anything from the Playstore... still smooth and good until the motherboard died... whereas my sister's iPhone 6 Plus's OS simply couldn't be updated anymore due to memory space restrictions... so cos of that, there were many apps she couldn't install on it cos the OS version was too old... conversely I don't seem to have this problem with my old Sony Tablet Z running Lollipop where I could install most apps from the Playstore... a bit slow and laggy but ran the apps quite smoothly once you've launched it...

 

[Aw2006]

My Samsung phone got green screen of death after their updates. No more warranty. Samsung said not their fault. Your own fault. Got to spend $200+ replace whole LCD.

My wife phone export phone with no update from android 9 still smooth like butter. What do you think.....

 

[1982-1994]

that's why I always stick to default firmware ,no problem and optimum to battery

 

[poland_ball]

I am one of those who say that. Who wants to hack my phone? I am using a China phone...not top of the line Huawei but a cheaper brand. But I do update my Apps whenever it prompted me because I like to watch them download and install, one by one.

If you don't do stuff like banking or singpass or wad I guess it's not so important. But it's not about who wants to hack your phone. It's more like a robber coming across an unlocked house. Sure even if you don't do anything financially senstitive, they can still steal your identity and go on to scam your contacts which IMO is one of the scary things that keeps happening lately.