Last week I realized the last time that my phone, a Google Pixel 4a, received an update was August of 2023. Google stopped supporting my phone a while ago. It will forever be stuck on Android version 13. For reference, the latest version is 14, with 15 set for release in the fall.
Despite not having any more updates, my phone still runs great. The Pixel 4a is the best phone I’ve ever owned in terms of value for phone, performance, and features. While I won’t get any more OS updates, I continue to get app updates because apps will most likely support phones with version 13 for many years to come.
The lack of OS updates though potentially means I might be subject to security issues but I’m willing to roll the dice on that. I’m not going to spend hundreds of dollars on a new phone just because I want the latest version of Android. My phone still does everything I want it to and does it in a relatively speedy manner. Even the battery appears to be in good shape as well.
I’m going to use this phone for as long as I can and I don’t think it’s out of the question to get half a decade of service out of it. I think about people who get a new phone every single year and I just think that’s a complete waste of both money and electronics. There’s no way a phone can be obsolete or slow after a single year. And where do these phones go? In a best case scenario, they’re sold to another person at a massive discount but at worst, it just winds up in a landfill.
Anyways, carry on my trusty Pixel 4a.