[mattlondon]

> I should be allowed to run the software that came with it 5 years ago. I could not care less about security or privacy or the illusion thereof

Ah but then when there is a bug that is exploited (e.g.SMS resetting phone) or a flaw that needs to be fixed (e.g. unexpected shutdown) then everyone is angry and pissed off because they haven't fixed it. It's damaging to their brand, and damaging for users who don't know/understand/care.

It's kind of a damned if they do, damned if they don't situation.

That said, they could just roll out security patches independently of new features - I believe Google is planning to do this in future Android releases via Project Treble - 1? Apps would rot though, as they update to use newer API features not available in the base OS.

Edit: I think project treble is just about easier OS updates and not modular security updates for older platforms

1 - https://android-developers.googleblog.com/2017/05/here-comes...