This is old news, 5 months old. I thought they meant more manufacturers apart from google and samsung.
That is good news.
Cynical me says there’s some sort of catch though. They are commiting themselves to sell fewer phones. How else are they going to make their money?
Then again perhaps they are accepting they can’t keep going on as they have been.
This is for the S series lineup. Samsung still have their A series and M,F,C series in other markets.
Through subscriptions. Both Google and Samsung are focusing heavily on that at the moment. That’s also why their unique software features are often free at first. If Galaxy AI started off as a monthy subscription everyone would ignore it but their plan is to get you reliant on it then introduce a fee.
Ah yes, the subscription. I’d forgotten about that.
I see it as the other way around. People are going to keep their phones for longer whether or not they fix the security issues that emerge. It’s better to fix the issues, to improve user perception and user experience.
Smart phones are on increasingly longer replacement cycles before the announcement. Perhaps they see the writing on the wall.
Ignoring the fact that few folks keep the same device for 7 yrs to begin with, this is only good news for app support life.
The actual title of the topic should be:
“Android app support is getting even better”
This is essentially a nothing burger for hardware in the grand scheme of things but sure. We’ll take it. Whatever.
I suppose it’s a pretty big win for the aftermarket selling off older devices. More than a few brands still absolutely refuse to adopt this, however. Looking at you, Motorola.
What about the battery? I doubt they support free battery replacements for 7 years…
That would be too far fetched in reality.
They should at least make it easy to buy a genuine battery over that lifespan. Nobody should have to browse eBay & AliExpress for a replacement component that could theoretically explode.
Manufacturers should also be forced to promote battery recycling practices & initiatives too. They are tossing endless amounts of them onto rubbish piles via planned obsolescence and yearly updates.
Insane request.
Attempts have been made to improve battery longevity in software, but at the end of the day battery chemistry sets the rules.
I’m all for consumer protection, but I don’t think demanding new hardware for free is reasonable at all. Making them easily available and replaceable would be.
It’s an alternative idea for a removable battery that they don’t want to give back to the consumers, not even the steam deck has this. Software updates are nice, but the batteries are still the main limiting factor on a phones usability. I know getting free battery replacements is asking too much, but their dark patterns are as well. Corporations have way too much leeway, power, and protections; I don’t care if they get hit hard with changes that help consumers.
