Also mandate upgradable software. I feel that outdated software becomes an issue way before dead batteries for most phones on the market. Most vendors don't seem to care much about software upgrades, especially on the lower end, and not all devices are supported by LineageOS / postmarketOS and co. I'm not even talking about (ok, technically, I am) how hard and scary it is to install alternative firmware on smartphones: unsupported rooting process that can brick your device, loss of your data while rooting, unsigned binaries distributed by unknown third-parties, broken warranty by using unsupported firmware… Vendors should be forced to sell either hardware that can be used with third-party software, or harware and software that is guaranteed to be updated for more than “up until the next shinny new device is out”.

To be fair the android rooting community is usually transperent. It's perspective of "scary" shouldnt be compared to jail breaking an iphone to get free apps. Also, most tutorial for rooting or just flashing firmware it's alwqys adviced to backup data, so fear of loss should be manegable.... one more thing, if you've reached the point of needing to root/change device software, do you really believe the company cares about your warrenty. I've known people with apple care go get their 5 year old mac books for battery replacement, to then get their time wasted with a lazy response of "sorry we don't covery water damage". When for a fact that device never experienced it.

If you want to get software updates (and you /do/ want it, even if you don't know, because of critical security fixes), you reach the point of needing to change the device software in only a few years (see, even Google's own Nexus line has a laughable software support duration: https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/4457705#nexus_device...). In the lower end, it frequently happens before the end of the legal warranty in some countries (eg. 2 years in France), especially with discontinued devices sold during sales. Worse, there's a frightening number of phones sold on Amazon that run an /already/ unsupported version of Android with known security issues.

Then, when you have the chance to have a device supported by some third party, you discover that you can't do backups without having to appeal to some wizardry with ADB and your phone in “developer mode” (when you even have that option), because you can't otherwise do proper backups without having rooted your phone /before/ having data to back up in the first place (ie. thus voiding your warranty from day one).

This is a huge problem. Every single one of my iDevices outlasted their software updates. Yet, I can still install Linux on a 20 year old computer and it runs fine.

Chinese smartphone sales have dropped dramatically this year. Mostly as smartphones have reached a point where upgrading cost vs return is no longer worth it for many. I really wanted Googles modular phone to be a successful but it died very quickly even before release otherwise that would have been a great way to upgrade parts without disposing old phones and creating waste.

If you think that's a shame, do check out Fairphone [0]. It's not completely modular, but it's trivial to replace the battery, screen and camera's without tools. See also their spare parts shop [1], all of which you can replace by yourself.

[0] https://www.fairphone.com [1] https://shop.fairphone.com/en/spare-parts/?ref=header

The Fairphone is a great idea, however, the software support plan, which is crucial for a long-term device, is vague [⁰].

I wonder if there is a realistic plan for such devices; I'm not sure a subscription plan would work - would non-technically minded people pay?

[⁰] https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/205504175-Wh...

Coincidentally they just made some announcements on that [0].

> Right now, we’re hard at work to get Android 7.1 “Nougat” into the hands of existing and new Fairphone 2 users this summer.

Unfortunately:

> Now, you may be wondering, “why not Android 8, ‘Oreo’?”. Android 8 and 9 are entirely new levels of complexity from Android 7, far more different than 7 was to 6. Therefore, attempting the upgrade to 7 was the best option.

[0] https://www.fairphone.com/en/2018/05/08/keeping-your-phone-l...

Do you think Google bought it only to kill it (the modular phone startup)?

Ah no google is not into selling phones as much as getting people to use its services. I don't think they bought it for nefarious reasons but simply ended it as they were unlikely to get traction for it. All the phone manufacturers and telco would have have opposed it anyway as it would have destroyed trillion dollars of their market cap.

> Seems like the easiest fix would be to mandate the same charging cable for all phones (no dongles) and user replaceable batteries that require no tools to change.

Never gonna happen, because Apple would make less money then. Why should they allow such a law to be passed?

The EU already has previously published an initiative, which was voluntary but which many phone manufacturers did end up getting on board with, regarding using micro USB connectors for charging: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_external_power_supply

I think that with USB power delivery and USB type C connectors, we could see a similar move again (or an update?) from the EU or another larger government (China?).

Getting user replaceable batteries, or at least more phones with this option even if it's not mandated by regulation, may come about from some of the "right to repair" legislation which is starting to take shape in the USA. I'm sure the EU has a similar (existing?) set of regulations in the works. I can't see a mandate of everyone having to use the same exact battery or tool-less requirements but I could see a mandate happening that a battery has to be able to be replaceable by a 3rd party service center and the OEM must sell battery replacement kits and instructions for a reasonable cost to 3rd parties for X years after a phone goes on the market. This wouldn't kill Apple, Apple is already replacing iPhone batteries with Apple provided parts using Apple technicians for only $29 in 2018: https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/battery-power

Pixel phones are end of life already. They were only guaranteed android updates for two years after 2016. This is another problem we have to overcome.

https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en

I have a 6p. It works great after a battery replacement, but Android P wont run on it.

> They were only guaranteed android updates for two years after 2016

Not exactly. The 2 years is for OS upgrades. They will continue to receive security updates which, IMHO are way more important, for another year. A 3 year lifecycle is still not great though.

Pixel was released in October 2016, so it hasn't been 2 years yet.

I thought it was two years since the LAST one was sold, not the first.

I think user-replaceable batteries are designed for shorter life.

- Sent on my iPhone 6 (almost 4 years old); 95% battery health.