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Wi-Fi Calling gets the ax on more than a dozen T-Mobile devices
A number of classics are being made *that much* more obsolete
T-Mobile is about to turn off Wi-Fi Calling to a number of older phones. Have you been prudent enough to see the day when your phone's been made obsolete? Well, at least in one small factor.
LineageOS ends Android 9 Pie support, cutting off 24 phones and tablets
Lineage is clearing the way for Android 11 support
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM around, not only because it brings a stock-like experience to phones and tablets, but also because it has kept many devices supported long after the manufacturer dropped support. The project has offered builds based on Android 9 Pie since early 2019, and now that many devices have been updated to LineageOS 17.1 (and with Android 11 support coming soon), support for Pie is ending.
LineageOS 17.1 arrives on the OnePlus 5T, Galaxy S5, Fxtec Pro¹, and others
Fresh off the build servers
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM around, bringing new Android updates to abandoned phones, and a stock-like experience (with or without Google software) to newer devices. The last time we covered the project, it added support for a handful of phones from Huawei, Sony, Xiaomi, and OnePlus. Since then, many more devices have made their way to the official roster.
LineageOS 17.1 adds official support for OnePlus 2, Moto X Play, and other phones
Android 10 on phones from 2015
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM around, and version 17.1 is based on the newest Android 10 release. The Lineage project has been slowly updating older devices to 17.1, and in the time since our previous coverage, even more devices have arrived in the official roster.
LineageOS 16 drops support for Galaxy S5 Neo, Wileyfox Storm, and other devices
LineageOS 17.1 is here, but the 16.0 branch is sticking around
The LineageOS 17.1 custom ROM, based on Android 10, is finally here. However, until all the devices supported by the custom ROM get updated (or fall out of support through other means), the 16.0 branch based on Android 9 Pie will stick around. Since the last time we covered LineageOS 16, a handful of phones have been dropped.
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After months of anticipation, the popular LineageOS custom ROM finally released a version based on Android 9 Pie last month. The project has already updated 30 devices to Pie, but now a few more have been added. Also, two phones now have official Oreo builds.
LineageOS is one of the most popular custom Android ROMs available, with over two million active installations. The project officially ended support for the 14.1 (Android 7.1) branch a few days ago, in preparation for LineageOS 16. The 16.0 branch is finally rolling out, and it's bringing Android 9 Pie to dozens of phones and tablets.
The LineageOS custom ROM used to support just about every phone imaginable, but lately the project has been going for quality over quantity. Oreo (15.1) builds have to fulfill stricter requirements to receive official status, and now Lineage is dropping support for 30 unmaintained phones and tablets.
The last time we covered LineageOS, the most popular custom Android ROM, it started supporting a handful of new devices with Android 8.1 builds. The project published Changelog 19 yesterday, which goes over some recent changes to the ROM and the community supporting it. There are some leadership changes, more newly-supported devices, and a new custom recovery.
The last time we covered LineageOS, the project had started supporting seven new phones, including the Xperia Z5 Compact and LG K10. Since then, several additional devices have been added to the official build roster. These include the Sony Xperia Z5, Samsung Galaxy S6, and Redmi 3S/3X.
In an effort to combat e-waste, Samsung and iFixit announced the "Galaxy Upcycling" initiative at the Samsung Developer Conference in San Francisco. This initiative intends to allow users to develop ancillary uses for their old phones, and share the code on the Upcycling website, where other users can download and use these crowdsourced ideas. Among the ideas presented at the developer conference were Bitcoin mining clusters made from Galaxy S5 units, an arcade cabinet using a Galaxy tablet, and an IoT-connected fishtank. In addition to providing code downloads, the Upcycling website will also sell sensors and accessories for IoT-related projects.
We like to make fun of Samsung (and most other OEMs) for being slow to roll out new versions of Android. It's true that Google puts everyone else to shame when it comes to big updates, but Samsung has been doing much better when it comes to security updates. Case in point: the Galaxy S5 on Verizon just got a security patch more than three years after it first launched in April of 2014.
TWRP is the recovery of choice for most power users - it's super easy to use, can be themed, and works on a massive number of Android devices. Over the past few months, the TWRP team has been working to expand the list of officially-supported devices. New additions include the Honor 6X, Wileyfox Swift 2X, Yoga Tab 3, various Galaxy phones and tablets, and more.
Cracking the screen glass is the easiest way to damage a modern smartphone, if only because there's just so much of it. Verizon isn't the only company making offers for a protection plan, giving customers a little peace of mind for reduced-price phone repairs in exchange for a few bucks a month. But the newest version of the plan does have an interesting bonus: they're offering same-day screen replacement for some of the carrier's most high-profile devices. Verizon is hoping that people will be willing to shell out some extra dough for the chance to fix up their screens without having to deal with shipping.
Got an old phone that the manufacturer or carrier has stopped pushing updates to? Chances are, there's a CyanogenMod ROM that will breathe life back into it. This week, CM maintainers have brought CyanogenMod 14.1, which is based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat, to the AT&T and T-Mobile versions of the Samsung Galaxy S III, the LTE model of the second-generation Moto E, the Moto X Play, and more.
Cyanogen Inc. may be dying as a company, but the voluntarily-maintained CyanogenMod ROMs are still alive and kicking. Case in point: seven more devices are joining CyanogenMod 14.1, which is based on Android 7.1 Nougat. Six of these Android-powered machines have builds already up, but one doesn't yet.
The Android update news this week has been all Nougat all the time. But what of the lowly Samsung Galaxy S5? AT&T is rolling out an update during Nougat week, but it's only Android 6.0 Marshmallow. I mean, not that Marshmallow is bad, but running just a little late, aren't you AT&T?
Remember the Galaxy S5? It was, in my opinion, one of the last mediocre flagships that Samsung built, but it's still barely two years old now and that warrants it support and firmware updates, at least up until Marshmallow, which was released when the S5 was about 18 months old.
Waiting on a carrier is not the only way to get the most recent version of Android onto your device. There's the option to flash a custom ROM instead.