I rarely root devices but I have yet to own an Android device that couldn't (eventually) be rooted using a community tool. This is anecdotal, there must be exceptions, but in my experience "locked bootloader" just means it might be a while before someone finds an exploit.

Easy enough for grandma, maybe not so much.

> Easy enough for grandma, maybe not so much.

This is pretty important when we're taking about a billion devices. The amount of people who do this is irrelevant and thus 99% or more of these users will be vulnerable until their phone stops working or the Facebook app no longer supports such an old version, forcing them to get a new one [assuming new Snapdragon chips fix the issue].

Right I never suggested otherwise, just clearing up the misconception that a locked bootloader automatically means the phone's OS can't be updated.

How do you keep a straight face and say something like “security updates are possible as soon as someone discovers an exploit”?

Deary me.

The exploits in question generally require having the device in your possession and unlocking it.

I think the distinction is pretty clear.

Exploits, plural.

Kinda proves my point: chain of exploits.

this is like saying to only buy mac laptops, because an os is hard to install on your laptop. I guess that's why the corporate world and other people don't run a bunch of linux. because it's a "community project." redhad and ubunty are community projects. gotcha. they are. just like lineageos. supported by hundreds of paid developers and many huge companies.

installing an os on your phone is not simple. but it is harder than installing it on your laptop. and because installing it on a laptop is hard, people don't buy copies of windows and never have.

i am not glossing over complexity. but this is not complexity. anything apparently is complexity to you if it's not "buy small computer, and literally do nothing." yes, doing something is "complexity." opening a door requires keys. too complex.

us somewhat technical people, like this entire site and literally a third of the population, can follow xda directions. my gramma can watch a 15 minute youtube video and just click exactly what it says. the complexity is not complex.

as far as unlockable bootloaders, there are some. i can count on one hand, out of the hundreds of phones I can buy. if by many you mean 2%, sure. i guess that 2% means don't use 98% of phones. strange how apple is unlockable on 100% of their phones, yet that 2% is "worse."

When you play pretend with fake information, the only thing you are doing with the narrative is making yourself look like you're spreading narrative. this works for fox news watchers like yourself. not on a forum with a bunch of downvoting nerds.

If I asked 90% of folks on the street to “just format your hard drive and install a Linux ISO” I’m going to get blank stares or a million questions.

In addition, it’s not about community projects being inferior. I’m a big believer in FOSS, strive to run nothing but FOSS, and avid contributors and publisher of FOSS. It’s about support. And, for the record, Ubuntu and Redhat are corporate projects though they depend and include many community projects and offer their products for free. Lineage is a community project.

Corporations do heavily use open source, but they also pay vendors for support. The average user also expects support from their vendor. Either their mobile provider or phone manufacturer. If they unlock and install LineageOS, they get none.

Your assumptions are way off base. First about the public’s likelihood to do what you’re recommending and second about me.

For the record, I’m one of the original members of TeamWin, helped write TWRP, have contributed to CyanogenMod. I’m not some uninformed schmuck. I definitely know how to flash a ROM.

if you asked your 90% what iOS was they couldn't answer you either, despite having an iphone in their pocket, so don't see your point. and those people won't have a 4yo phone in the pocket either -it'll be refreshed every couple of years, and still under automated ota updates.

so again you're moving the goalpost. the claim of the op was old phones from apple are superior because they get vendor security patches, and android does not. which is factually false.