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That's some long-term support. If your iPhone doesn't get OS updates, it almost instantly turns into a brick. Android doesn't get updates for nearly as long, but you won't lose apps and stuff nearly as fast.
My Nexus 4 still runs Android 12 and gets all of the latest apps. Same with my Nexus 7.
Kinda crazy how long Android phones can outlast iPhones if you take a few minutes to root them.
Currently using my Nexus 4 as a WhatsApp server, and my Nexus 7 as a digital stream deck.
Sure, with custom ROMs you can carry phones much farther than intended, if you are lucky enough that your phone gets updated custom ROMs.
But I wouldn't equate 3rd-party support with 1st-party support.
Also, custom ROMs that provide newer Android versions than the original 1st-party support often don't upgrade everything, e.g. the kernel is usually not upgraded, which can cause issues in some circumstances.
But yeah, it's pretty great that there are people who spend their spare time to get newer versions of Android on old phones. Should be standard, that phone manufacturers are doing this themselves, sadly it's not.
if you are lucky enough that your phone gets updated custom ROMs.
Less about luck and more about having a popular enough device. Less popular ones are way more unlikely to have them unfortunately.
Sure, but for the not super popular ones it's mostly about whether there's some random dev who owns that phone and wants to keep it alive.
The Droid 3/4 for example where kept alive for much longer than their popularity would suggest.
Oh absolutely.
In my opinion it's not that they were equating 3rd party support to 1st, it's just impressive that we even have 3rd party support that is actually useful.
Should it be the phone manufacturer does this? Yes. But personally I prefer to use community ran (and FOSS) solutions.
How does that work? Does it get Google play and everything on custom ROMs?
Usually yes, if you want it to.
By default, though, a device with a custom ROM or root (basically anything but an unmodified stock ROM) will not have SafetyNet or Play Integrity API certifications. This means, apps that check for that (e.g. banking apps) won't run on the device.
There is a tool (Universal SafetyNet Fix) which tries to fake these certifications and will give you full SafetyNet but only partial Play Integrity API status.
(Play Integrity API is split into MEETS_BASIC_INTEGRITY, MEETS_DEVICE_INTEGRITY and MEETS_STRONG_INTEGRITY. Depending on how lucky you are, you'll get basic and/or device, but you will not get strong).
With Universal SafetyNet Fix I have yet to encounter an app that doesn't run, but theoretically apps could be checking for MEETS_STRONG_INTEGRITY and then there is nothing you can do to get it running (short of modifying the app itself).
You could still sideload apps to these, right? The apps themselves would have to be pretty old, though...
And with that, the absolutely best Android version that has ever been released is starting to get put on the side.
I personally found Nougat to be the best, and then they focuses more on UI than features. (They also stopped the naming after that)
They stopped after Pie (9).
Time to update my HP Touchpad.
Heh. Well that's interesting. I'm using an old mobile for my VOIP. Happens to be KitKat OS. Was able to extend it's life with a replacement battery off ebay, but VOIP softwares were starting to all update beyond the limits of my device anyway.