Google Android active devices: 21 per cent now run Lollipop

[DanceswithUnix]

Yep, still on 4.4.4. Thanks Motorola!

Which phone is that then?

I think they saved us from the horror of initial 5.0 rollout, but my Moto G got a 5.1 update months ago. My son's Moto E still hasn't got an update, but I think that is down to it being Tesco locked.

[aramil]

Lollipop is sooooo last year

[ik9000]

well given how much lollipop bricked phones does 6.0 cause them to spontaneously combust?

[NitrousX]

Cyanogenmod

Amazingly fast and slimline ROM available for just about any device that can be rooted. Nightly updates in most cases (if you need them).

Once I get an Android device, I immediately stop getting updates from the manufacturer and root the device for custom roms or CM.

Same running CM 12.1 on on nightlies on my oneplus, looking forward to migrating to the release build soon

[DanceswithUnix]

well given how much lollipop bricked phones does 6.0 cause them to spontaneously combust?

We get that 5.0 annoyed the heck out of you, but as a survivor of OTA updates from 2.1 to 5.1 with damn near every version in between, I think you are over egging this.

But then I am running a Moto G, and I'm guessing the 5.0 update never got through Motorola's QA and they spared me that bullet and took me straight to 5.1

[ik9000]

We get that 5.0 annoyed the heck out of you, but as a survivor of OTA updates from 2.1 to 5.1 with damn near every version in between, I think you are over egging this.

But then I am running a Moto G, and I'm guessing the 5.0 update never got through Motorola's QA and they spared me that bullet and took me straight to 5.1

yes, because the middle-manufacturers delay release of the update until they've worked out how to make it work. Unlike google who roll out the updates to the N5 before it's ready and literally BRICK the £350 worth of phone. Cheers google.

[DanceswithUnix]

yes, because the middle-manufacturers delay release of the update until they've worked out how to make it work. Unlike google who roll out the updates to the N5 before it's ready and literally BRICK the £350 worth of phone. Cheers google.

That does sound very sucky, could you not get the phone repaired? I would have thought you could at least boot to the rescue rom?

Am currently sending a phone back to Tesco just because when I asked to unlock it they found that they couldn't get an unlock code. I never understood why carriers lock phones in the first place, there is a contract that says they are getting the same money regardless. Still, they have a duty to unlock it, bit of a pain that it requires a warranty replacement, but getting a phone on contract does get you that sort of support.

[peterb]

Cyanogenmod

Amazingly fast and slimline ROM available for just about any device that can be rooted. Nightly updates in most cases (if you need them).

Once I get an Android device, I immediately stop getting updates from the manufacturer and root the device for custom roms or CM.

Doesn't say much for the platform if you have to faff about compromising security and installing third party software to get it to work properly.

I prefer my appliance to work properly out of the box. You wouldn't want to mess about changing a washing machine's firmware to get it working!

[DanceswithUnix]

Doesn't say much for the platform if you have to faff about compromising security and installing third party software to get it to work properly.

I prefer my appliance to work properly out of the box. You wouldn't want to mess about changing a washing machine's firmware to get it working!

Let's hope the situation is about to improve:

http://arstechnica.co.uk/gadgets/201...t-to-roll-out/

If people get an expectation of monthly fixes then that might force the carriers to pull their fingers out and make third party roms less tempting.

[ik9000]

That does sound very sucky, could you not get the phone repaired? I would have thought you could at least boot to the rescue rom?

Am currently sending a phone back to Tesco just because when I asked to unlock it they found that they couldn't get an unlock code. I never understood why carriers lock phones in the first place, there is a contract that says they are getting the same money regardless. Still, they have a duty to unlock it, bit of a pain that it requires a warranty replacement, but getting a phone on contract does get you that sort of support.

They gave us the option of sending it back for a refurb replacement, but they block £350 on our credit card while they check it by their specialist team. If they deem it invalid (damaged, rooted, etc) then they charge us the £350. So we get an unboxed refurb for the same price as our new phone (which we would not pay for since that is not a reasonable price for a refurb model), and no control over whether or not we get charged. We loaded kit kat back on it (from the google dev site) to see if it would fix the problem. It didn't. But apparently that may class as rooting. So we're not sending it back. In short, we're stuffed. A phone that worked fine one day got irreparably broken by the OTA update. We will never touch google with a bargepole again.

[DanceswithUnix]

They gave us the option of sending it back for a refurb replacement, but they block £350 on our credit card while they check it by their specialist team. If they deem it invalid (damaged, rooted, etc) then they charge us the £350. So we get an unboxed refurb for the same price as our new phone (which we would not pay for since that is not a reasonable price for a refurb model), and no control over whether or not we get charged. We loaded kit kat back on it (from the google dev site) to see if it would fix the problem. It didn't. But apparently that may class as rooting. So we're not sending it back. In short, we're stuffed. A phone that worked fine one day got irreparably broken by the OTA update. We will never touch google with a bargepole again.

I can see why you would be so cross then. I have sent a phone back to HTC before (via Three) with a different recovery flashed onto it from the factory one. At the time I think HTC had a similar thing that such messing about invalidated the warranty, but in practice they would only charge in the case that clumsy flashing was the cause of the problem and even then I was looking at the cost for repair not the full value of the phone!