Even with Graphene, it's increasingly likely that it'll be dead to new Pixels in the coming years. And I say that as someone posting this from a Pixel 9 running Graphene.

If you're fine with buying and carrying around a flip-phone or something, no.

If you want the inactive smartphone you already have in your pocket to receive calls yes, because it will not work with the non-data SIM card. Even if you have 0 interest in data. EDIT: SIM compatibility might be part of that too, like how dual SIM adds another layer of bought-the-wrong-thing.

Similar to @[email protected]. I am sure better plans exist here (like another user pointed out), but aside from device type it may depend on what store you're at or just how much research you're willing to do into if certain options are still good.

Wait what ? Side loading blocked

Well it was a good run, time to look into custom roms…

For those wondering what happened, the Android Open Source Project (ASOP) launched in 2007, but started decoupling major parts of the project from the main in 2012 instead forcing them to update through Google Play store and over time restricting access to the codebase before just this year deciding to shut down the ASOP.

In their defence, they've also made lots of changes to make android compatible with more devices and to make third party stores work better, but they've just as often made changes that intentionally harmed development of alternative android-based OS.

I’m glad I chose iPhone instead!

I left them only because Pixels were good enough, clean enough, and custom Roms couldn't update themselves.

If there's one that can, I'll happily switch back.

Bootloader is blocked so no custom roms. You will take whatever shit they are slinging and like it.

To add to this, the only redeeming quality of Android is that the Google Play Store developer account currently only costs a $25 one time fee, meanwhile the Apple App Store costs $99 per year. Google also seems a bit more permissive with its apps. You can still use an adblocker extension when you download firefox, even torrent clients are there. Apple doesn't really allow alternative browsers, every browser is just Safari reskinned, no extensions, absolutely zero usable torrent clients whatsoever. And, there aren't really any Tor browsers on iOS (probably because of the same reason why iOS browsers have no extensions), those that do exist seem very badly built, not officially made by the Tor Project, and some even require you to pay for it (which make sense given the $99 yearly fee).

But you know, its capitalism and the current pricing could soon change...

(Edited phrasing for claification)

Capitalism is never going away unless people build a system to redistribute wealth and so far they're doing the opposite lately.

I bought the Murena One since it was the cheapest model that was close to the specs of my phone at the time. Figured $500 was already overpaying considering how much lower cost my previous phone was, but also, who the hell thinks about a $500 phone bricking in a month? I just find it inexcusable regardless.

I remember wanting to get the removable battery, but they didn't offer that with the One, and I'd be losing specs if I got a model in my budget that did have one. I also wasn't going to spend over a grand for a phone with the Fairphone models available through them at the time.

I mean that the pricing of the dev account could soon change because of the fact that we live under a capitalist society, not saying that capitalism is itself is going away.

There's so much bullshit with smartphones now that make them a pain to use, I'm honestly considering at this point to just get a flipphone and buy separate devices for the things it can do. Get a camera, MP3 player, and portable DVD player and live life the way people did 20 years ago.

Oh its very cool. Have you seen palantir's

Oh. You meant cool for you. No. Jo they have not

Huh? I'm fairly sure Lineage does OTAs and has been doing it for a loooong time. And there's other ROMs that have OTAs too.

Doesn't work that way. We should stop attacking each other and start attacking the people actually responsible for this nonsense. Apple both was the first for gluing the phone together and removing the headphone port. Every other device manufacturer follows suit such that people cannot choose. Samsung was publicly mocking Apple for locking the bootloader and guess what? Which Samsung phone can now freely install any operating system? That's right, none of the more modern ones.

Only the new battery initiative from the EU which forces manufacturers to make batteries normally replaceable again, will change that in 2027. Short version is, if there isn't any sort of bigger power forcing them to do something, they will refuse to, as long as screwing you makes more money. And in most cases, it does.

Never seen this before. It is really weird.

I still have my Nexus 7 and use it daily as an eReader.

There are phosh based phones and over time more people will hopefully switch to them, use them, and work on making them better. Phosh-based phones are currently are not as usable as something like GOS, but with Google challenging itself to become more and more enshitified in the interest in marginal tiny profit gains (even if it destroys their brand over the long term) nerds needs to band together prepare for an alternative. Part of this is going to be advocating for Apps that work in Linux mobile Phosh environments and just refusing to use containerized apks and part of it is going to be people doing what they can to support native linux phone apps that work well in Phosh.

Bruh, wtf are we gonna next year once it's fully locked down?