News Google stops Android 4.3 Jelly Bean web patch dev

FTFY

It's a risky and short-sighted move by Google - it's still possible to buy devices running Jelly Bean, so it's not just old devices that are at risk. Presumably the WebView renderer affects more than just the standard browser - would any app that displays web info use the WebView renderer by default?

 

Well, those with a straight-android phone can simply update.
Google can't help that Samsung etc. don't allow updates

 

I guess that's fair enough seeing as the android versions being released are less frequent these days and most phone manufacturers only give one or two updates at the most anyway. There is always of course Cyanogenmod or any of the other many custom roms online if you really feel you have to be bang up to date.

I just had a quick look on XDA and there are six kitkat roms for my ancient HTC Desire which is still running ICS, sadly no lollipop ones though.

 

Alternate headline: OEMs who have failed to update Android in a timely manner leave user's unprotected.

Pressure should be put on OEMs to keep devices updated, rather than them relying on Google to backport fixes to old OS versions.

 

No security patches for a 15mo OS! Wow.

It's Google's mess - that they created. They're the ones that allowed Android to become the "Toxic Hell Stew" it became. They created the mess and now they're wiping their hands and walking away from a lot of users.

Sure you can blame the OEMs but what did Google really think would happen? They didn't care about a secure future stable eco system, all they wanted to do was muscle in on Apple and grab as many mobile users as they could... no matter the cost.

Nobody cares about people using legacy hardware as those users are still using the same Google services and therefore updating / patching them isn't going to increase their use of Google products (Which is what Google want) or get them to buy new hardware (Which the OEMs want) or take up new contracts (Which the carriers want).

The flip-side: If Apple was announcing that a 15mo mobile OS was abandonware the media would go ballistic at them and scream how it was in total contrast to the 'open' nature of Android.

Another flip-side: In other news Apple get shouted at for offering new OS updates to old hardware which (shock of shocks!) actually slows down the older hardware... as if somehow new operating systems were more complicated beasts that their forefathers. Who new?

Damned if you do. Damned if you don't.

 

Yup.

Correct. That's because it's almost identical to the version that followed it in terms of hardware requirements. The only reason people still have phones using 4.3 is because whoever is responsible for the update to 4.4 is lazy and needs kicking in the rear.

A point about Apple: their high iOS adoption rate is due to massive generation-on-generation sales increases and the fact that their hardware is high-end to begin with. Fragmentation has already begun, with the iPhone 4 restricted to iOS 7, and it'll be joined by a few million iPhone 4s models before too long. Apple aren't doing anything magical to handle fragmentation, other than avoiding the lower end of the market.

 

Impossible to compare the 2 Eco systems. Apple has 8-10 phones to cater for + iPads. Android is several 100 handsets. A lot of those handsets are sub £50 in most country's and updating them is the last thing on a carriers mind in those places.

Google could of forced the updates is I guess what people are on about. But Samsungs version of android is a lot different to what stock android looks like these days. Same applys to all the different headset makers.

Do think this will come to bite Google but they are just riding a money train whilst the handset makers are all really struggling. Even Samsung has had a few poor quarters. The Apple money train moves on at a pace I never expected it to maintain.

Maybe it will force Google to consider tighter patch integration but I can't really see it happening. Most people who I know have gone Nexus on android or have very modern handsets and are willing to change them every 1-2 years.

 

/waits for Microsoft to point out the obvious

 

It's only an problem if you still use the old none updates default browser with javascript enabled, if you use chrome or Firefox problem is not be there(java script disabled on android browser) , but a lot of people still use the old default android browser as it well works very well on old phones compared to chrome

Wounder if they can issue a update via play store to disable java script on 4.3 devices on that old android browser (maybe advise to not use it any more)

But this is an OEM or phone maker problem for not updating the Android browser

 

Just force device manufacturers to ship all android devices with vanilla android so android updates can be handled by google.

 

It LOOKS different, but really isn't, is it? That's the bugger-point really.

compared to chrome and Firefox that is, opera doesn't work properly either.
I have freezes/shutdowns in all three, while the default browser just works.
(Galaxy S Plus on 2.3.6)

At least the option to switch to vanilla would be nice, yes.
I won't buy another closed-ecosystem Droid, but that leaves only Nexus and Motorola atm.

 

But I don't think that it's just the browser that's affected. As far as I can see (and I'm willing to admit that I might be wrong), but any app that displays a webpage within the app will use the standard WebView renderer, so even if people use Chrome or Firefox, the apps will still use the insecure renderer.

 

Considering that most of the people affected have computers with little or no internet security and don't even know how to access WU, I am pretty sure that they won't have any security on their phones nor realise that they should, let alone understand how to update them.

Personally, I think there should be far more done to educate people regarding digital security.

 

Well the Nexus at least updates itself, much like a Windows Update, so no biggie

 

You are correct it's the webview renderer and apps can use it

I believe on 4.4 it uses chromium not WebView

On 5.0 I believe they have moved most parts of the phone so they can automatically updated via Google play services and system apps updated via play store so means less need for OTA updates