Or if you care about unlocking the bootloader / getting root (at least based on the S60).

Latter was possible but non-trivial, with a good chance of ending up with a brick. IIRC installing a custom OS to get recent security patches never worked (it was abandoned on Android 6).

> Or if you care about unlocking the bootloader / getting root (at least based on the S60).

It would be really cool if in the $CURRENT_YEAR we could finally get unlocked bootloaders for all of our phones and actually own the devices.

But that's unlikely to ever happen with the way how Android and manufacturers treat the OS, much like how the driver situation is nowhere near where *nix is.

I know the #1 reason I buy a phone is to get updates for it. The rest is window dressing.

The number #1 reason I buy a phone is TO PREVENT CERTAIN UPDATES.

I have been on the iPhone 6S+ since inception. But upgraded to the 7S+ only for the water proofing...

Its the only phone I like... but the 6S+ didnt have the facial survellience NSA option. Thus I held onto that for a long time.

Try an Android with LineageOS, it won't suddenly change underneath you unless you tell it to install a new version (full or point release, e.g. 18.1 -> 19). No surveillance, no planned obsolescence, no hassles. The source is there is you want to modify/build your own release. This also makes it possible to extend the life of the device even when LineageOS ceases support.

honestly nowadays I might even recommend graphene over lineage provided your device supports it. It's way better about security, privacy, anonymity and all that jazz

Graphene is simultaneously the easiest to install and most robust rom I have ever installed in my years of it. It is a gem.

Then, CAT phones are not for you.

They are very durable, yes, but they don’t care about supporting them long term, software-wise.

So you're telling me the device I buy will stop nagging / forcing me to install updates to it that changes / breaks the way it functions?

Sign me up!

You should care about security updates. For most people, their phone has more very private data than even their laptops. And the attack surface on modern phones is absolutely massive.

This would seriously be a Killer Feature for phones for my parents. Android updates confuse the hell out of them (me, too, when I have to help them out—Google's UI design for their built-in apps is terrible, and they can't help but screw around with it in unhelpful ways every single release)

LTS Android (or iOS) with five+ years of security-only updates would be the perfect phone for them.

You seem to be contradicting yourself?

I took the original comment as sarcasm.

I don't need lots of updates, but it bothers me to have security holes, and also when apps you need say they are no longer compatible with your OS.

Uh, can you just get a cat phone for all the HW -- and manage your own android dist on the phone?

That is much easier said than done.