> Like it exploding

That was an issue with one phone, once, and it was a problem with the battery, not Android

> Not getting security updates after the first year

That's actually solved by rooting since you can update from any source instead of just signed packages

> Boot loop

I guess that could be a problem but I've never had that issue and I've rooted all but one phone that I've had

That's NOT solved by rooting - I wish people would stop saying this.

There's two parts to Android patching - the kernel/Android OS itself - yes, this gets patched with a rooted/custom ROM.

Part two is the hardware drivers themselves, the modem driver etc etc. None of that is patched with a custom ROM. You still have to use the same binary blob/drivers that came with the latest official phone firmware.

When security updates stop for you phone, all the updates for the underlying hardware drivers stop too. So yea, you can slap some bandaids on it, but you're not really up to date even though you might be on a later/more recent version of Android.

Your definition of “solved” is pretty identical to OpenBSD user recommending to “just patch your BIOS”. Demographically this is not a solution, as 99.9999% of the potential audience will never be able to even understand the requirements of that skillset.

> That was an issue with one phone, once, and it was a problem with the battery, not Android

If my house burns down, I personally won't care if it's android in general, the model, or the battery in the android phone which destroyed everything I own.

> That's actually solved by rooting since you can update from any source instead of just signed packages

Installing software downloaded from xda-developers is, what I like to call, malware as a service (tm).

That's like saying that all Apple products suck because they bend, antenna doesn't work, keys stop working and screens start to stain.

Like the person said, it was literally one Samsung model that had issues and it could've just as well have been an iOS device. Looking at how many recalls and repair programs they have for design flaws, I don't think anyone should paint Apple as the better side here.

Can you link me to a custom ROM on XDA that was shown to have Malware?

That's a poor argument. That's like saying you didn't read this page's article, because the malware being discussed wasn't already known to you. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Formally, this is called an argument from ignorance.

This seems like a pretty weak argument, are you sure you want to trust a bunch of hobbiest devs with the security of your (probably) most valuable computer?

Just because something doesn’t have any know issues, doesn’t mean it’s not wise to avoid it because it flat out smells.

I trust hobbiests more than I trust Google or Apple to handle my security.

That really depends on your threat model, are Apple and google going to use marketing data against you? Probably.

Are they going to plant malware which steals your banking details? Probably less likely than a random binary package you found on some forum.

You need to do a bit more research because of the sheer number of options, but there's absolutely manufacturers that have none of those issues (battery exploding was one samsung model, I haven't heard of boot loop issues. Poor security update lifetime is absolutely a common issue though, although fixable by rooting as pointed out in another comment). See: Android One^.

^https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_One

Also iPhone lifetime is a bit of a joke. I mean, Apple got caught literally slowing their older models down on purpose in order to have people switch into newer models.

I haven't gotten as much mileage on my Android phones as compared to my 4S, but the 4S cost about 3 times as much as the android phones I usually buy and 3 lower end-ish Android phones serves me easily for 10 years with no issues.

> "Apple got caught literally slowing their older models down on purpose in order to have people switch into newer models."

"Apple denied wrongdoing and settled the nationwide case to avoid the burdens and costs of litigation, court papers show." - https://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-iphones-settlement-...

They haven't been "caught" doing that; they have been accused of that. Why is it the stupid conspiracy theory which wins the popularity contest, instead of the much more annoying true story - Apple cheaped out on batteries which couldn't provide enough current to run the phone as they aged? Or, just as factual, Apple slowed down the phone to keep it working longer on the same hardware thus making people avoid having to buy new phones.

> They haven't been "caught" doing that

They settled out of court. Must have though the case against them was pretty strong. If that's not an admission of guilt...

> 3 lower end-ish Android phones serves me easily for 10 years with no issues

Are there any lower-end phones that get security updates for 3 years?