You DON'T need the latest version of Android! 😮

[@itchylol742]

i still want the newest version even if it's just so i can play with the newest features for 30 minutes and then never use them again

[@XDAVideo]

Same

[@BLACKSAMARII]

Same here 😂

[@crimsonprincetr5844]

same

[@aurathedraak7909]

😂 that's about right

[@divinesh]

or the latest Easter egg

[@AryansinghT60]

This update was literally like the gingerbread era. Actually last 2 updates - 14 and 15. More like 13.2 and 13.3. These incremental updates maybe the reason that the companies are extending their software support. Comparitively easier for them to optimise updates. I might be wrong but i feel this

[@Name-tn3md]

More like 12.3 and 12.4

[@AryansinghT60]

@@Name-tn3md maybe yes

[@nomanCyclewala]

12.1 and 12.2 is more accurate. they jump a whole version each year cause incremental number change isnt as “exciting”

[@TorontoListener]

I'd be inclined to think of Android 14 as 13.1 rather than 12.2, because there was a bigger difference between 12 and 13 as between 13 and 14/15. Plus, there were a ton of under the hood changes with 13 to make it much more reliable and refined than 12.

[@Name-tn3md]

@@TorontoListener wrong

[@pessoaanonima6345]

The problem with this approach is that it makes people even more dependent on Google Play Services for doing anything in Android. AOSP gets more and more irrelevant as time goes on, and android gradually becomes almost like a closed source platform. Desktop mode and app lock features are really good features, though. It took a lot more time than it should, but I think it's a really good addition to android.

[@Syncopia]

That's always been the goal since the introduction of play services.

[@AbeelSiddiqui]

"Big Android Updates" nah Android 12 was the last "big" update after that each update hasn't anything that exciting anymore

[@two_gender-squad]

true

[@HeyHowRUdoing]

Google seems have abandoned allocating more focus and resource into continue developing android like before, now Sundar Pichai is just screaming AI AI AI in every single conferences.

[@sumeettanwar1608]

It's worse, with each update they are making it walled garden like ios. Freedom in android is dieing.

[@zerotwo_.002]

Android 16 is again looking like it will be a minor /major ui change.

[@teknixstuff]

And Android 12 was a bad update.

[@thelakeman2538]

I don't understand how we've convinced ourselves that letting a company force automatic updates and remotely install new applications in background without ever asking for user permission is somehow a good thing. Like why does my android 11 phone suddenly have a gemini application ? I was never informed about or asked for my permission to install it. The only thing preventing me from using my other lineage os device (without gapps) as my daily driver are banking apps.

[@vishalvs8576]

Don't be paranoid. Privacy is a myth.

[@ElaineGarcia-uo8qj]

I disabled all updates with adb cuz for real they are annoying Also, if i cant have access to system apps--i dont think anyone else (mfgs) should either!

[@maximusg88]

The carrier thing isn't really an issue in Europe - but seems like a big deal in the US... Such a different market it is there

[@realitycheck908]

IPhone in US same price as samsung, IPhone outside US 300 euro more expensive then samsung 🤣

[@RtqoopbFl9WpIP9fULuihzt6Sk4t9u]

I'm still using Android 10. To me it's like Android has matured so much that new Android features from new releases don't really matter at all, at least on a phone. For tablets, Android 12L's UI changes made the experience much better on a bigger screen instead of upscaling a phone layout on a 12 inch display.

[@shaugoon]

What phone are you using?

[@ClaxtonBay123]

Android 10? Just say you have a very old phone. Because there's a colossal feature difference between Android 10 and 16. Time to upgrade

[@imTmTmi]

a15 and a10 are very different my friend security wise, ui , ux

[@jasons4045]

No. Android 10 is way outdated feature wise and security wise. Many banks have also stopped supporting Android 10

[@Naveenjotron]

Android 10 ? Good for you because after a10, google added more stupid storage restrictions like in Kitkat. File managers can't access android/data folder anymore.

[@trevordp]

My favorite upgrade was Kitkat to Lollipop. That was a huge overhaul.

[@masterfevi]

I think lollipop to marshmallow was also a major upgrade.

[@TicTacBell_]

They were so iconic, android 8 was also very important

[@Qwerty10254]

I hated kitkat because I remember everything turned white. I preferred jelly bean and the pleasant cyano icons. For me it was when android started to look like a generic clone of iOS

[@zulfahmichannel7085]

Kitkat to lolipop lolipop to nougat those are landmarks update

[@panjak323]

Android 6 - 1 GB ram usage Android 12+ - 6+ GB ram usage Hasn't gotten any "groundbreaking" features, nor it got faster.

[@fa14bi-78]

You getting denied access to CPU % usage and Android data folder in those extra 5GB of Ram, that's most of the changes i noticed. Oh, and Play protect makes it that you can't install an third party app without any explanation why. And sending apk is now just called base.apk Oh, and with android 15 you can install third party app and google will just block you from using it just gaining more control over your device. Will probably cost one extra GB of ram as always

[@panjak323]

@@fa14bi-78 yup, I love those 2 features. No access to data folder even with root explorer. No access to GPU usage and monitoring,🤤 Also "security" updates casually breaking Windows emulators...

[@bgalazka1868]

i installed android 14 on old 3gb phone it reports 1,9 Gb/2,9 GB my other 4 gb phone reports 2,6/4 (both around 65%) i guess new phones with 12 GB ram can use even more than 6 at iidle , they just have multiple most used apps loaded in to memory already to start them faster on lower ram devices it limits itself to 65% idle usage

[@panjak323]

@@bgalazka1868 let me argue, it uses nearly 2x more memory than full fledged desktop OS (linux, even freaking windows), and the Apps don't start any faster with flagship SOC vs much slower. 5 year old laptop CPU. Also each app uses 100MB RAM minimum, most services take 500MB for no reason. The runtime and memory allocation models on Android are completely fudged. Mobile OS should be running as close to metal as possible, instead of using a Java derived JIT interpreter for everything and throwing around 100s of MB to random apps.

[@panjak323]

@@bgalazka1868 yt again deleted my comment, my point was, it uses More ram than desktop OS, and is not any faster because of that... Because of JIT and inefficient memory model

[@Camelotsmoon]

I'm patiently waiting on Google to fix the notification pull down menu to what it used to be. The amount of wasted real estate there is that it's not transparent anymore.. who thought it was an improvement for me to pull down notifications and have a gigantic black screen to cover everything else and just have the words "there are no new notifications."... I like to see what is behind the window. I think this shows that we are getting to the point where they are changing things for the sake of things being different... But not better; kinda like how windows hit that point around windows XP. Vista changed things, everyone hated it, they changed it back in 7 and everybody loves it... Then 8 changed everything again, everybody hates it, then 10 changed it back and everyone love it... Google is like "YES, lets do that now.".

[@zelo6237]

it's unfortunately the design choice they seem to be going towards. more full screen interruptions for the most basic of functions.. it's disappointing that oem roms are becoming cleaner and easier to use now

[@SillyCar31]

I honestly update my phone to the newest update and just look at those new features try them a lil bit and never really use them again 😂

[@ohiosfinest]

I used to be one of those people that needed the latest and greatest software. That's why I preferred the Pixel over others on Android. Same with the iPhone. I was getting the update on day one. Now that I've moved back to android, I went with samsung. I don't care that I have to wait a few more months for the update, because the phone works, and OneUI 7 will actually be a visual update. Not just things in the background. But as long as my phone continues to get security patches and bug fixes, I'm good.

[@Tai美心]

Samsung always get first android update lol like they make the first features and google software update follow it

[@kevywavy]

@@Tai美心 Not in this One UI 7 case.

[@EddieTee77]

I'm on Android 15 and I agree it matters much less than before.

[@amirmohamad2270]

I'm writing this on a four year old Huawei Phone that has android 10. I have five other Android devices which are either Android 13 or 14 and frankly I don't see a difference. Yes there are some changes and little improvements but mostly it's the same experience. This phone is still running buttery smooth and can launch any app I want. The only downside being the battery degradation.

[@Riyozsu]

The android easter eggs are more fun than the features they being sometimes. I loved the spaceship in android 14.

[@HassanRadwan133]

Android 15 bricked my Pixel 6. I wish I'd never bothered upgrading. I'll think twice in the future.

[@PTRK490]

Did you eventually get it resolved? I have the 6a but haven't updated to 15..

[@HassanRadwan133]

@@PTRK490 Yes. Google eventually replaced my phone, after much toing and froing with Google Support.

[@StefiStarlite]

My only real worry with Google shifting so much of their feature offerings out of Android is how long until Google ultimately stops caring about AOSP. Don't get me wrong, there are benefits with the approach Google has taken on paper and in practice for a number of scenarios, but with Google having sole power over Play Services there's a similar lock-in from a software and services perspective that Apple has in their software/hardware alignment lock-in. But obviously that's why both companies are facing legal issues. Separate from that, at this point the only function I really wish that could be implemented is being able to disable Doze without relying on an ADB command.

[@pessoaanonima6345]

Agreed. I hope google gets divided, as the news suggests, and loses control over Android and Chromium. They can keep chrome and their flavor of android for pixels. I think it would benefit everyone. I doubt it's gonna happen, though.

[@thelakeman2538]

​@@pessoaanonima6345 I think google is integrating play services and gapps deeper into android in order to prevent that, the same way MS tried to integrate IE into system apps to make it seem as if IE was an essential and inseparable part of the os to prevent a ruling forcing them to decouple it, except in google's case they might probably succeed especially with the recent move of letting devs block sideloading of their apps using the play integrity api. Though I suppose there's an elephant in the room when making that argument in the form of China (an android dominant market without google).

[@aryansingh7209]

You don't speak for XDA. Talk about restrictions on Data and Obb folders, bloatwares, ARMv7, side loading and older Android version getting killed by Google

[@phatmeow7764]

thing is the typical consumer would always go for latest/greatest even if all they do is surf the net and watch youtube on there phones...

[@Rajkumar.R-kn7sb]

😂

[@ABC73086]

15 update on my Pixel 6 significantly increased the fingerprint response . that's a plus for me .

[@its_argho]

Why else do you think companies are promising 5 years 7 years of Os updates? There is literally barely anything new in a OS upgrade these days. So it’s fairly easy for them.

[@CalmDinosaur-jz9ej]

Android 14 alone brought about JRT updates which had sped up app loading times considerably. Under the hood improvements matter so much more than user facing updates.

[@markbrad123]

Don't go below 9 though, you won't be able to run alot of apps. You will probably need the MS authenticator app if you work in offices.

[@dondekeeper2943]

Every new android version kill the older phones. Just give us security updates. We don't really need new android version anymore these days, since the so-called new features are mostly cosmetics anyway

[@alihart]

Really useful analysis of android operating systems. It's felt like this has been the state of play for some time now (android 12 actually). I wonder what this means for the much vaunted 8 years of updates

[@Tony-u9x1f]

People who never used android before android 10 have no idea how much android has matured . It might have been Android 10-12 that was a last major update. Personally i feel like android 10 was the last and it feels like 11 -12 have polished android 10. After those years, features have been less exciting

[@userlololol-xn8oe]

I am still using Android 10 in my old phone

[@masterfevi]

after android 10 there is no features they are restrictions

[@godchi1dvonsteuben770]

Stick with Androids 13 and 14. For earlier versions I also recommend Androids 8 through 10. Like the man says, you can upload new features as needed, saving you some precious memory.

[@TuPhonez4Free]

That's facts

[@Halo_agent_51]

This will be the same in the upcoming releases. I guess this may be the reason for manufacturers providing 5-8 years of software updates

[@abdu7095]

Android is "safe" and "secure" if you have minimum spec of Android 10 version.. You dont actually need the latest version of Android system because it has tons of interesting features already..

[@Syncopia]

The hostility towards SD cards in the os has made that I will not be leaving Android 10. I feel zero compulsion whatsoever to upgrade.

[@nickthaskater]

Android 15 is supposed to include a number of improvements focused on large screen/foldable devices, so as a Z Fold user, yes I would like the latest version of Android. I don't care about the visual changes, but I absolutely care about under-the-hood changes. 6:55 the desktop mode tools were introduced in Android 10. Freeform windows were introduced in Android 7. Just because Google doesn't themselves leverage a feature at a consumer level doesn't mean features don't exist in AOSP.

[@tyviroth1319]

from android 13, Google slow down providing their features. They add those new features in new upcoming devices.

[@elvisjones8122]

Android 9, on an old Samsung S8 Plus I have had since launch day, but new cell in 2025 since no more capability with S8 Plus or back in Verizon Wireless un approximately January 2025.

[@avhiro]

this is not entirely correct. I'm in the play developer program and most of the changes, esp in the last 3 major versions, are under the hood that most users won't see - in the code optimizations and such. Moreover, also increasing the developer experience of developing an android app.

[@josephmburu9335]

why hustle with ui and almost every company has skin of their own.

[@ed10523]

Hi Alex. I Can attest that Android 15 on my Pixel 6 is running flawlessly and I'm so happy of its capabilities. Looking forward to seeing Samsungs One UI 7 next year to see its similarities and differences. Great Video and Looking forward to another. Cheers.

[@ayankurhade5878]

As someone who uses android v10, I see this as absolute win

[@donthompson567]

My girlfriend brought her phone from Verizon to T-Mobile, and for some reason, it never received Android updates. I could have manually loaded one if I wanted to, but she's not the type of person who would even notice, so I never got around to doing it. Her phone has been on Android 11 up until now, and as it's time to upgrade, it hasn’t really made a difference.

[@Galaxy.Windows]

5:12 No. it was introduced with Android 10 in 2020. Android 8.0.0 isnt modular

[@imbalancedstatus8824]

The Next thing is to allow all phones to install Google version of Android seamlessly as we do with windows and Linux

[@PhilleShy]

I feel android 14 is already good enough for a modernized look, android 15 looks like the "oh, we missed these in the android 14 update" update. If only they added more (homescreen/lockscreen) customization features, it would be more worth to update.

[@madhurjo.karmaker]

Watching this video on Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ running on Android 12, with no issues at all. Now I am feeling much better about my phone.

[@sajithvarghese1994]

Yes, you are right for pixel users. But for other other Android Mobile users the update always provides a lot of benefits. In the case of Apple, Apple is still trying to catch up with Android. Some features of Apple are still like the android 2.1 version like file manager.

[@HAWXLEADER]

Android 6 got the nearby sharing magically and now has quick share

[@adamkeith11]

It's time google should drop using numbers for new android versions and switch to something that matches its obsolescence

[@TigerTT]

The moment when you disable the animation settings then every single phone whether new or old feels super smooth lmao.

[@maxlunatic6545]

Just turned on my old oneplus 7 - got android 12 and everything works like at the time of purchase (i am not a gamer). It works fantastic even after 5 years and has decent battery life. Some time ago even some very old phones with android 7 got nearby share feature through google services.

[@someonelsy]

At 4:27 why to only android 12 and 11 specifically and not all the android versions supported to date?

[@mackyme001]

And also, unless you're using Google Pixel Phone, you won't really notice android updates on their UI because most of smartphone manufacturers uses Skinned android like MIUI, EMUI, One Ui and so on. I wish manufacturers used vanilla android instead of skinned one.

[@farfar5828]

I'm still using pixel 4 since 2020, and upgraded to Android 14 (Custom ROM), I can enjoy latest tech features. The only problem is this phone only has 2800mah which only last 3-5 hours for normal usage

[@samlazar574]

I am now at a point where I do not care unless my phone works and I have regular security updates, including bug fixes. The new features are excellent, but I cannot live without them for the most part.

[@addinaam]

agree to some degree. my dad and mom dont care about android update. they just want all the apps they use to work. newer version sometimes also means that they need to relearn the ui and that was cumbersome. for me i want newer version. new looks, new experience, and makes my old phone feels new

[@HanSpies82]

It's Android 15 already and I'm still waiting for Call Screening feature for the Pixel to be available in Singapore.. I will make the Pixels complete here.

[@Dumauch]

This is been the case for almost a decade now The only people who made a fuss about the latest Android versions were tech creators most people didn't care and still don't care and probably won't

[@albinabraham7199]

Using Android 14 currently. Before that I used Android 8 for many years. So if you're using much older versions of Android, the upgrade will be worthy.

[@himanshurajput523]

I welcome this change. As it removes the anxiety with buying cheap second hand or old phones. Previously with not expecting more that 2 android upgrade it was really damning to buy old phones even if it still was very well in terms of hardware

[@indie1751979]

My 5 year old OnePlus 7t with Android 12 still runs at peak speed and I still don't feel the itch to upgrade.

[@dankovac4176]

I update my OnePlus 7 pro to latest version every year, but since android 12 I don't care if the custom roms comes out in December or February

[@GhostDrow]

I'm on 12 and my security patch says 2022... So..?

[@filenotfound__3871]

My s10e is running android 12 and tbh I haven't found a single thing that i reqlly miss over new versions

[@imbalancedstatus8824]

You are so right. Fory needs, I haven't seen any changes after I upgraded to 15

[@K113-A]

I don't even know what Android version I am running... All I know is, it's 7 years of updates

[@592Johno]

Yupppp it's been like this a while now. Don't mind tho. I don't remember what it was but Google had a project they announced where they would help improve the android OS update situation via play store and it's working superb, which is why the actual main OS updates are mundane nowadays

[@Pancicopong]

Why XDA so much downgrade right now ? Before XDA talk about aosp without the google things aka gapps, drop support data obb access. Android now its just toward ios line and apple is going to like android before

[@chickenph]

What we really wanted now is a phone that could still use banking apps after several years.

[@sumner2q]

I can't believe xda is saying we don't need the latest and greatest update or tinkering like we used to.

[@AlexMkd1984]

they are biased apple fanboys

[@RichardRatner.1972]

Big love Alex. Kindest regards, Richard U.K

[@chrisdavid3676]

Very informative video👏🏾

[@kirasatoshi905]

If only we can do that. The problem is some apps especially banking apps requires latest android version if you want to continue using them. This have forced me to get a new device when my old device had it's android version outdated. I still have my old Redmi stuck with Android 10 since it's last version of Android it could upgraded to. I can't continue using it since my banking app I usually use requires Android 11 and above to use it. I had no choice but to upgrade my device.😢😢😢

[@alvarojflorez]

I kept using Android 13 in my Note 20 Ultra up until last month when I installed an Android 14 custom ROM. Other than the redesigned notification pannel and a few "AI" tricks, it's pretty much the same.

[@aurathedraak7909]

Too bad im still using it but on a pixel 7pro i don't get the 80% battery setting, which its dumb

[@ujjwal142]

Project mainline, a sustainable move. 🎉

[@AndrewJamesStringer]

Android 15 on Pixel 9 Pro XL. Feels a lot smoother than 14.

[@Rebelnightwolfe]

I don't need it because my 5 year old phone can't even update to 13. My phone still runs as fresh as the day I got it.

[@5idi]

So why would Google keep making new versions?

[@wengfongcheah]

some developer however thinks you need the latest version of android to be secure especially the banking one in my country at least.

[@aju383]

I haven't updated my OnePlus 8 from Android 12 haven't faced any issues in my 4 years of usage

[@Drew1218s]

Android 12 was known to be bad with battery life.

[@aju383]

@@Drew1218s During weekdays I use my mobile only for some scrolling through socials and calls for which I only charge once in the morning which is enough for the entire days light usage and on weekends I charge twice as I tend to use it more frequently still get 4-5 hrs of screen on time

[@TimberWulfIsHere]

You probably should tho

[@danielhariri]

Please get it unlock, i still have my one plus 6t run android 14, it felt like a new phone. All i need is a new battery

[@WeatherMan2005]

wow you didnt get the update forced onto you like i did? lucky.

[@shiro214okane]

the peak atm is android 12, can still run old apks that runs 32bit, you can also revert "files" app version from android 12 so you can access again the android/data and android/obb. in android 13 and 14 you need root, if its wireless adb they patched it at a14 which made it VERY hassle and hard to edit/delete, adding is easy. i'm even using firefox as my default browser with ublock installed so no ads will go in, without using DNS.

[@pessoaanonima6345]

Wait, even wireless ADB doesn't work anymore on 14? And you can't downgrade the files app on 13? That's new to me, I have just been using a rooted Android 13, it has gotten worse since last time I checked.

[@shiro214okane]

@@pessoaanonima6345 it does work in 14 BUT, its very hassle to even edit or overwrite the file, on the latest version you can not even delete file, soo you can't modify or replace it. but if you're just adding a file or editing the file you've added its possible. in 13 its a negative, only works at 12. soo if you want FULL access to the directory, its only root now... old useful apps that aren't in google play store and corn games doesn't work on android 14 now.

[@BruceLeeRoy26]

I get that there are probably no new ground breaking features and if manufacturers continued to support phones on older OS versions that would be fine, however, with companies charging +$1000, I’d want them to support the phone, even with no new features they can hash out, there are plenty of bugs in each iteration of the new OS version, nothing will ever be perfect. Companies like Sony and ROG get away with not buying the license for older phones and saving a bunch of money that they pocket themselves, that’s not even including the amount they save by not having engineers work on patches (yes software and security engineers need to fine tune patches sent from Google for the specific phone models, I can already see the same “Google is responsible for the patches” statement). I’m not in the habit of saving money for companies.

[@Ronnet]

I used to greatly anticipate Android updates and always wanted to have the latest and greatest in software. But those days are long gone. Not blaming Google though, with our modern understanding of smartphones both Android and iOS have achieved their must have features. Now every update is iterative and innovation and differentiation is mostly done in hardware. This is why I was able to keep using and enjoying the Surface Duo well after MS dropped support. Keep it up Google, this is how you create an ecosystem.

[@venukrithish007]

I'll still want the latest update. I can see how a14 was a good step in battery performance. I still want those under the hood changes.

[@早川_第7回平和]

I feel android 13 is enough for me, but i can't even stop myself from getting a new android version because of my temptation.

[@WeatherMan2005]

im running android 13 on my samsung galaxy A42 5G. my last os update number. i used to have android 12 and it worked way better on my phone than 13. i wanna go back but ofc you cant stop the updates.

[@sb17146]

Yep that's the reason I haven't upgraded and still using my pixel 5. There's hardly anything new to warrant buying a new phone. On top of the said features, most things I use day to day is with my launcher of choice, Novalauncher.

[@morningstrix3227]

Very good video !

[@vincentjamescv128]

Using android 11 with snapdragon 865 is super duper good af

[@alexneil1078]

Got my oneplus 8 pro on android 13. It’s still a great phone

[@Tamayo.Sama2023]

When google started to give 7 years update yet gave you low spec phone. I just now the next updates would not gonna be big changes. More optimization year to years

[@ichrome99]

I was a big fan of the latest Android updates but now I prefer a stable OS to a buggy update.

[@vasudevmenon2496]

XDA suggesting you don't latest update when current Android 14 builds won't get security updates like iOS. Atleast Pixel don't get security updates once new version rolls out unless it's custom ROM.

[@mooode841]

Remember it's not only about the software It's also about security patches. Using your phone without updating it or an older device that doesn't get updates anymore is very risky, especially on android. And it could actually result in bad battery life, weak performance, or getting laggy over time.

[@fidelisflowww]

Android lollipop was my favorite, the best feature to come from android was Google now , wish they would replace my news feed with an updated Google now

[@TomO-nx1bd]

I would be fine with Android the way it is now for the next 5 years verses a new version update that bricks my phone.

[@IanPlayzYT7523]

I just want android 13 on my budget phone so that I can customize my lockscreen now

[@sickandloose]

Didn't they increase the standby time to up to 3 hrs on this release?

[@MacgyverFreitas]

I just wanted to update my phone like I update my PC, any PC is compatible with any version of Windows or Linux, updates do not depend on manufacturers or carriers, it is direct from M$/Linuxdistro to the device I'll never understand why Google doesn't make Android this way

[@darkrainboww]

This is probably the smallest update done by google and doesnt justify releasing an entire android version. It could have just been a patch update to 14. Yall dont realise how making small incremental updates like these is harming you as a consumer. Many phone companies offer 2 major android upgrades after which phones become useless, and major upgrades are wasted on small features like these. Point to note samsung added all these features on an incremental update to one UI 6 so why cant google?

[@Bung-y2t]

I hadn't updated my Android phone for last 6 years.

[@sirgreen2792]

Im loving Android 15, the little that it brings plus everything else it does is fine

[@Mark-uk8wz]

All other Android skins: One UI, Hyper OS etc. show that Stock Android (Pixel UI) still has a lot of room for improvement. Hopefully with Android 16...

[@kollurusaharsh722]

Oxygen OS and OneUI had best implementation