this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2025
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The entire smartphone industry.
I use five year old smartphone (Pixel 4a). I can afford a new one, but I don't need a new one, and it would be worse in ways I care about (bigger, probably without a headphone jack), without being better in any way that really matters to me, so I don't want a new one.
Official software updates ended a couple years ago, but I'm running LineageOS and I got an update this week. Google has intentionally made it hard for most people to use LineageOS or any other Android distribution not blessed by Google as their primary phone by allowing app developers to check whether it's Google-approved. For now, I can usually work around that, but it would be too big a hurdle for most people.
The kernel is getting pretty old though; it's 4.14 when I'm up to 6.17 on my laptop. This is because SOC vendors don't release open source drivers, nor maintain the proprietary ones for very long.
Finally, there's the battery. Mine is in great shape because I use AccA to limit charge to 60% most of the time, but charging to 100% as most people do would have greatly reduced its capacity by this point. Replacing it requires melting glue and some risk of damage. Most phones are like that now (though that's changing due to EU regulation).
I loved my Pixel 4a with LinageOS. It was the perfect form factor. Sadly, I had to give it up when my banking app decided that it was exclusively only for Android/IOS and deemed LinageOS to "unsafe" which was bull shit.
Be sure to give it a one-star review.
So far, Magisk and Play Integrity Fix have been sufficient for apps that don't like it.