A bit of a nitpick, but the current iPhone SE is basically an iPhone 8 with upgraded internals, so these complaints are solvable, also while saving a bit of money (though not now the cost is sunk,...
Now it doesn't fit in my hand properly, all new iPhones are veritable tablets. I also miss TouchID. The new camera is fine.
A bit of a nitpick, but the current iPhone SE is basically an iPhone 8 with upgraded internals, so these complaints are solvable, also while saving a bit of money (though not now the cost is sunk, I suppose).
I am slowly embracing the r/dumbphone and it's interesting to see how software support doesn't impact people's choices - to the point where I can't help but think "is that even safe?" I don't have a grand point to make about this, it's just interesting to see the contrast.
Dumb phones have become somewhat impossible for me to even consider because of all the 2FA stuff. I literally cannot access my bank account without my phone, and it needs to be a smartphone,...
Dumb phones have become somewhat impossible for me to even consider because of all the 2FA stuff. I literally cannot access my bank account without my phone, and it needs to be a smartphone, because the 2FA is proprietary inside my bank's app.
I feel you there, and I think the main thing I've taken away from that is that a 'dumbphone' is - as the name would imply - purely software based. Something like grapheneOS on the cheapest pixel...
I feel you there, and I think the main thing I've taken away from that is that a 'dumbphone' is - as the name would imply - purely software based. Something like grapheneOS on the cheapest pixel they still support could get you 80% of the way there, even if it doesn't look like a dumbphone.
Also, and this one is an important one for a lot of people: GrapheneOS can't do NFC payments, because Google won't sign it as a secure release. Somebody here clued me in to Unihertz Jelly Star...
Also, and this one is an important one for a lot of people: GrapheneOS can't do NFC payments, because Google won't sign it as a secure release.
Somebody here clued me in to Unihertz Jelly Star which would let you serve the purpose as a dumb phone, being incredibly tiny but still filling all the needed features. I'm considering getting that for my "mandatory wallet replacement" (2FA, payments, parking apps, EV apps) and just using my GrapheneOS Pixel 7 for handheld entertainment/computing.
I don't think its specifically the NFC payments part that don't work on GrapheneOS. Its bank apps offering NFC payments that enforce that their installation only is available on phones validating...
I don't think its specifically the NFC payments part that don't work on GrapheneOS.
Its bank apps offering NFC payments that enforce that their installation only is available on phones validating the Google Integrity thingy (don't really remember it now) which is mainly an already present Google Play Services installed as a System service.
My personal bank don't use the Google signing thing and the NFC payments works fine, but this is probably more because of some EU law or way of doing that permits this use case.
To be clear, anything that leverages Google Pay or Samsung Pay won't work. My banks don't offer NFC payments directly, they just integrate with Google Wallet. I'm betting you're benefitting from...
To be clear, anything that leverages Google Pay or Samsung Pay won't work. My banks don't offer NFC payments directly, they just integrate with Google Wallet. I'm betting you're benefitting from the EU being slightly less terrible.
I haven't dabbled in custom ROMs in a while, but weren't you able to simulate Integrity with a Magisk module previously? I remember getting my bank app to (mostly) work on LineageOS a few years...
I haven't dabbled in custom ROMs in a while, but weren't you able to simulate Integrity with a Magisk module previously?
I remember getting my bank app to (mostly) work on LineageOS a few years back. But to be fair lots have changed since then.
Some Dumbphones are actually cut-down Android devices and can have apps sideloaded. While this defeats the purpose of having a not-Smartphone, the lack of touchscreen will either help or hinder...
Some Dumbphones are actually cut-down Android devices and can have apps sideloaded. While this defeats the purpose of having a not-Smartphone, the lack of touchscreen will either help or hinder your ability to maintain using it while only having those exceptionally rare necessary apps like 2FA for your bank account. The Kyocera Cadence, for example, had a Snapdragon 210 in it with 1GB of ram.
I own the latest iPhone SE, like it a lot, but I wouldn’t buy one today if I were shopping for a new phone. It’s not exactly “current” (same internals as iPhone 13), battery falls too short, and...
I own the latest iPhone SE, like it a lot, but I wouldn’t buy one today if I were shopping for a new phone. It’s not exactly “current” (same internals as iPhone 13), battery falls too short, and the last couple iOS really aren’t well thought for its smaller screen.
I’m currently rocking the latest SE and yeah I completely agree with your stance here. If it wasn’t so new (previous one failed in ways that Australian Consumer Law covers, so they just handed me...
I’m currently rocking the latest SE and yeah I completely agree with your stance here. If it wasn’t so new (previous one failed in ways that Australian Consumer Law covers, so they just handed me a brand new one out of the box as replacement for zero cost, less than a year ago) then I’d be looking for a new phone about now.
Probably the biggest reason I’m sticking with this one until it dies is because I personally can live with it, and don’t want to contribute to more e-waste just because I can get myself a newer toy to play with.
I also completely agree that the OS is clearly designed for a different screen shape than this, and that bleeds into some apps too. My bank app had a pop-up that was too tall to display on my screen, and therefore the “okay”/“continue” button was hidden, but it wasn’t designed to be scrollable (the usual workaround I see for this issue) so I literally couldn’t use the app until the promo deal or whatever it was trying to advertise was over and stopped popping up when I opened the app. Luckily it’s my secondary bank account for savings, so I rarely need to actually log in and do anything, but still pretty frustrating.
It happened to me as well, more than once. When it's an indie app, I send the dev an email and they sort it out quickly. I bought mine in mid-2022, a couple months after it was released. I'm okay...
My bank app had a pop-up that was too tall to display on my screen, and therefore the “okay”/“continue” button was hidden, but it wasn’t designed to be scrollable (the usual workaround I see for this issue) so I literally couldn’t use the app until the promo deal or whatever it was trying to advertise was over and stopped popping up when I opened the app.
It happened to me as well, more than once. When it's an indie app, I send the dev an email and they sort it out quickly.
I bought mine in mid-2022, a couple months after it was released. I'm okay with its screen and weird app behaviors because of it (I don't use it that much to care), it's the battery that sometimes makes me wish to upgrade. Maybe when the next SE comes out (allegedly next year, iPhone 14 form factor)…
Really depends on your threat model. Who are you protecting yourself from, and how? If you actually keep wifi, mobile data, and bluetooth turned off 100% of the time and take some extra steps...
Really depends on your threat model. Who are you protecting yourself from, and how?
If you actually keep wifi, mobile data, and bluetooth turned off 100% of the time and take some extra steps required to make it very unlikely to happen accidentally then, for the most part, sure, it's not that different to having an actual dumb phone (which also have some security issues).
If you do accidentally or intentionally connect to the internet, then technically there are some concerns, though it is statistically unlikely that the circumstances will be 100% ideal for the bad scenarios I can think of.
So if you're careful enough and if your threat model doesn't concern targeted (or semi-targeted) attacks from skilled threat actors (e.g. who would want to use your vulnerable device to infect other devices) and you are willing to take that risk, then honestly, you can go for it.
Would I personally do it? No, I'm a paranoid cybersecurity worker. But is it the end of the world? Nah.
If we give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they do nothing but make phone calls, that's still a good avenue for an attacker to access private info via listening/recording them. From the...
If we give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they do nothing but make phone calls, that's still a good avenue for an attacker to access private info via listening/recording them. From the photo, it also looks like they use the camera, which means that the camera can be turned on, and there are probably photos (potentially private ones) on the phone.
Even if the user isn't using any advanced functionality, the Lumia does have all sorts of smart capabilites, most notably the ability (and power) to run other apps. More stuff available means more exploits to gain access to the things mentioned above and, for something as famously abandoned as a windows phone, those flaws are almost certainly well documented and un-patched.
There's a certain security provided by the sheer niche-ness (who's attacking windows phones in 2024? much better to focus on iphones and androids), but that doesn't stop someone who is determined to hack this specific person.
I only have a layperson's understanding of cybersecurity, so take all of this with a grain of salt. Hopefully someone knowledgable who is reading this can contest/reinforce my explanation.
Generally speaking, it's very unlikely that a skilled threat actor (typically nation-sponsored hackers or organised criminals) will want to spend their resources to target you individually as a...
Generally speaking, it's very unlikely that a skilled threat actor (typically nation-sponsored hackers or organised criminals) will want to spend their resources to target you individually as a person, unless you are a company or an otherwise notable individual for whatever reason. It's one thing to target a company, a reporter, a security engineer, etc. and another to target your average Joe.
Also, notably, some of these weaknesses technically exist on actual dumb phones as well, in one way or another.
Actually it lacks a modem, so it's basically a tiny tablet. I have one of their larger tablets and the e-ink screen does a pretty good job of subtly discouraging social apps etc.
Actually it lacks a modem, so it's basically a tiny tablet. I have one of their larger tablets and the e-ink screen does a pretty good job of subtly discouraging social apps etc.
Regarding the blogger’s complaints about size: Apple, I’m begging you, please make a new iPhone mini! I bought a 15 this year and the only reasons I bought the 15 over the older mini is USB-C, a...
Regarding the blogger’s complaints about size: Apple, I’m begging you, please make a new iPhone mini! I bought a 15 this year and the only reasons I bought the 15 over the older mini is USB-C, a better camera, and a few more years of potential support. Please someone just make a 5” or smaller smart phone that has modern function. At this point, I kinda wish that I did go with the mini and just live with the lightning connector.
I also fantasize about returning to the Mini. But I don't think I could step back to Lightning, especially without a headphone jack. If smaller phones don't sell, I suspect it's for the same...
I also fantasize about returning to the Mini. But I don't think I could step back to Lightning, especially without a headphone jack.
If smaller phones don't sell, I suspect it's for the same reason that sedans 'don't sell' in the USA. Because manufacturers have higher margins on the larger stuff, and fitting everything into the smaller sizes is slightly harder, and the people who buy the newest, shiniest stuff regularly are not the practical-minded folks who buy Minis and sedans.
Oh man, don't even get me started on sedans. Regular Cars actually has a great analysis on what happened to the sedan market and you're pretty much correct with your suspicion that a lot of it...
Oh man, don't even get me started on sedans. Regular Cars actually has a great analysis on what happened to the sedan market and you're pretty much correct with your suspicion that a lot of it comes down to the auto makers pushing what's cheaper and more efficient for them and influencing the market with advertising, partnered with consumers just not being practicality minded https://youtu.be/nOX8QvMNBYY?si=T1XTRiUhS8CGb-Up
I'm pretty consistently pissed off at the auto industry, as a lover of older cars. Until recently, I had a 2001 CR-V, which still is a perfectly reasonably sized SUV for modern times, but it's practically diminutive compared to modern SUVs and even some crossovers. With how much shit I could haul in that CR-V, I have trouble believing people truly need something sized like a VW Atlas, but here we are. And my Miata now has its roof line below the hood line for some SUVs these days, like the Grand Wagoneer. While the Miata is small, it wasn't dangerously small in the 90's. Height wise, it was reasonably sized compared to the majority of cars on the road.
It's a pattern happening in tech, too, where "bigger is better", but at least in tech, it isn't as dangerous as things like grand wagoneers and cybertrucks being able to be on the same roads as something like a miata.
As frustrating as this is, it makes me happy when I find someone else who notices! Blows my mind that our roads and cars are simply not regulated to ensure that other vehicles won't simply plow...
As frustrating as this is, it makes me happy when I find someone else who notices!
Blows my mind that our roads and cars are simply not regulated to ensure that other vehicles won't simply plow through our windows in the event of a collision. Even if you assume no collisions will ever happen between vehicle classes (lol), I find it hard to believe that regulators and carmakers don't get frustrated with tall headlights that wind up above eye level on some vehicles. Never mind illegal lifted vehicles, dangers for pedestrians, and aftermarket headlight replacements with no reasonable cutoff.
I’m surprised that other market forces haven’t also jumped in and (for example) made larger car spaces to fit these larger cars, and charge a premium (paired with penalties for a big vehicle...
I’m surprised that other market forces haven’t also jumped in and (for example) made larger car spaces to fit these larger cars, and charge a premium (paired with penalties for a big vehicle trying to squeeze into a smaller space so people don’t just cheat the system)
I think I inadvertently found a solution to the truck headlight issue, though I need more drive time to be sure. I got a new (to me) Civic Sport Touring recently, and I think my back window is now...
I think I inadvertently found a solution to the truck headlight issue, though I need more drive time to be sure. I got a new (to me) Civic Sport Touring recently, and I think my back window is now lower than a lot of large trucks' lights. :D
It also has a neat auto-dimming rear view mirror, and the front glass seems less prone to glare from behind.
It's too late for the linked poster, but for posterity: you can jailbreak iphones. You wouldn't be able to install a new ios version that doesn't support the hardware but there are other OS...
It's too late for the linked poster, but for posterity: you can jailbreak iphones. You wouldn't be able to install a new ios version that doesn't support the hardware but there are other OS options that work.
The problem is that the hammer that is used to drive a nail is also the hammer that can be used to smash a window in to break into a house. When you jailbreak for your own means, you leave your...
The problem is that the hammer that is used to drive a nail is also the hammer that can be used to smash a window in to break into a house.
When you jailbreak for your own means, you leave your device open to exploits in the wild as you are using exploits to jailbreak your phone. It's effectively bolting open a security flaw for others to use against you.
In the case of a older device that hasn't been getting security updates for a while, there are likely well known exploits that are targeting the OS version. In that case, jailbreaking and...
In the case of a older device that hasn't been getting security updates for a while, there are likely well known exploits that are targeting the OS version. In that case, jailbreaking and installing a more secure OS can improve rather than hurt your security.
That aside, the security risks of jailbreaking are often overexaggerated. The main risk is in jailbreaking to get root access (rather than jailbreaking the bootloader) and then being able to install non vetted apps. If you install something malicious it's easier for it to get root access. But you still have to install the malicious app first. It's like being logged into Windows as the admin user. It doesn't make it easier for you to get hacked, it just potentially gives anything that gets in easier access to full priviledges.
The idea that you're opening a door and leaving it open isn't consistent with any jailbreaking methods I've come across, though that doesn't mean there aren't some where that's the case.
If you are able to root/jailbreak the device, a malicious app or website is able to exploit the device. Did you already forget about the PNG exploits that allowed for drive-by attacks that...
If you are able to root/jailbreak the device, a malicious app or website is able to exploit the device.
Did you already forget about the PNG exploits that allowed for drive-by attacks that affected iOS?
I run custom software on my device. I'm well aware of the risks which is why I'm asking you not to minimize the risks involved with jailbreaking a device.
A website doesn't have the same physical access and other circumstances normally required to root a device. The ability to root a device and the ability to exploit it via the network are rarely...
A website doesn't have the same physical access and other circumstances normally required to root a device. The ability to root a device and the ability to exploit it via the network are rarely the same.
I see you completely forgot about JailBreakMe.com... People were going into iOS stores loading up the website and jailbreaking iOS devices right there on the spot. The point is, anything you do to...
I see you completely forgot about JailBreakMe.com... People were going into iOS stores loading up the website and jailbreaking iOS devices right there on the spot.
The point is, anything you do to jailbreak can also be done by a malicious application to jailbreak. Intention is the only difference.
In terms of software support, google actually leapfrogged Apple last year with 7 years of support (up from their previous policy of 3 years for OS versions and 5 years of security updates)....
In terms of software support, google actually leapfrogged Apple last year with 7 years of support (up from their previous policy of 3 years for OS versions and 5 years of security updates). Obviously though Apple has the track record of seeing their support periods out while Google hasn't reached the end of their previous 5 year policy for any devices since that was announced, so they haven't yet proven they'll follow through.
I really feel for this guy. I used an original iPhone SE (iPhone 6S generation, so older than this) up until earlier this year. But the iOS update march pushed me to change phones when more and...
I really feel for this guy. I used an original iPhone SE (iPhone 6S generation, so older than this) up until earlier this year. But the iOS update march pushed me to change phones when more and more apps stopped working on the last supported OS.
I wound up 'sidegrading' to my partner's old Pixel 4a. I wanted a headphone jack, a fingerprint sensor, and a reasonable form factor. I got the first two, though somehow the 4a is still significantly smaller than every modern phone. And it still feels like a dinner plate to me!
At least Google, and Samsung are lengthening support windows to 5-7 years now. It's insane to me that some people upgrade their phone yearly. But, I guess I'm a bit unusual, in that no phone has actually tempted me to upgrade since the original SE.
I'd kill for a small phone. With a headphone jack. And a fingerprint sensor, since face ID kind of sucks if you wear transitions glasses or frequently bundle up for winter weather. But phone companies seem to just make a slightly larger phone with fewer features each year. Personally, the one thing phone companies could do to tempt me is create a combination ereader phone. Instead of a second larger OLED screen inside, give me e-ink! Then I could whip out my ereader anywhere, on the go, and even use it to read longer articles instead of my phone screen.
But who am I kidding. Next year we'll just get another four to six ~6.5" iPhones that don't fit in my pocket, and even larger Galaxy and Pixel phones. And US carrier compatibility + software support will continue to make every other brand a complete nonoption. At least my 4a works well.
Apple heard us a few years back and delivered the mini. I have one and i loooovvvveee it. But there’s so few of us who really want it apparently, it didn’t sell much, and they discontinued it with...
Apple heard us a few years back and delivered the mini. I have one and i loooovvvveee it. But there’s so few of us who really want it apparently, it didn’t sell much, and they discontinued it with the 13 :(.
I was so bummed to move away from my 4a, the battery needed replacing but thanks to planned obsolescence, it was cheaper to trade it in for a 7a. I'm gonna keep this going until the battery...
I was so bummed to move away from my 4a, the battery needed replacing but thanks to planned obsolescence, it was cheaper to trade it in for a 7a.
I'm gonna keep this going until the battery replacement law comes into play in the EU in 2027, buy something nice and keep it as long as I can.
I get that it's frustrating, but this is just one of those things that you have to live with; it just doesn't have a solution, and its present with all technology, not just smartphones. Even if a...
I get that it's frustrating, but this is just one of those things that you have to live with; it just doesn't have a solution, and its present with all technology, not just smartphones.
Even if a manufacturer tries as hard as they can to maintain backwards compatibility, newer hardware becomes more and more different from existing hardware over time. The operating systems that support that hardware change to support that new hardware, and to support new features.
Eventually, it becomes cost prohibitive to continue to support older hardware, so the operating system stops getting updates, which means the phone becomes less and less secure over time as new vulnerabilities are discovered, and it becomes less and less compatible with modern features.
This isn't just phones; it's personal computers, servers, routers, switches, modems. It's something that happens with all technology, but it's especially prevalent with things that directly interact with the internet, because of how quickly things on the internet change, and how inherently exposed a device sitting on the internet is.
I know the kneejerk reaction like this is to be mad at the corporation deciding not to support the phone anymore, or phone manufacturers in general, or capitalism as a whole, but it's not really the fault of any of those things, it's just a fact of life. There's a limited amount of human labor available, and devoting a large portion of that labor to areas that not that many people would benefit from just doesn't make a lot of sense, no matter how that labor is organized and motivated.
It's annoying, but it's annoying in the same way stubbing your toe is, or getting wrinkles as you age, or the weather being bad when you were hoping it was going to be good. Irritating, but no one's fault, and something that is just sort of an inherit part of living in the world.
I got force upgraded when the 4G thing happened a year or more back. My Oneplus 3T had 4G but apparently didn't make the cut for ATT >_> But I do like my Pixel 4a because it was smaller.
I got force upgraded when the 4G thing happened a year or more back. My Oneplus 3T had 4G but apparently didn't make the cut for ATT >_> But I do like my Pixel 4a because it was smaller.
Still rocking my 4a. I refuse to give up a perfectly working phone and spend money on a new one that pretty much does exactly the same. The size of available phones is also a big factor tho.
Still rocking my 4a. I refuse to give up a perfectly working phone and spend money on a new one that pretty much does exactly the same. The size of available phones is also a big factor tho.
A bit of a nitpick, but the current iPhone SE is basically an iPhone 8 with upgraded internals, so these complaints are solvable, also while saving a bit of money (though not now the cost is sunk, I suppose).
I am slowly embracing the r/dumbphone and it's interesting to see how software support doesn't impact people's choices - to the point where I can't help but think "is that even safe?" I don't have a grand point to make about this, it's just interesting to see the contrast.
Dumb phones have become somewhat impossible for me to even consider because of all the 2FA stuff. I literally cannot access my bank account without my phone, and it needs to be a smartphone, because the 2FA is proprietary inside my bank's app.
It sucks, but I get it. But it sucks.
I feel you there, and I think the main thing I've taken away from that is that a 'dumbphone' is - as the name would imply - purely software based. Something like grapheneOS on the cheapest pixel they still support could get you 80% of the way there, even if it doesn't look like a dumbphone.
Also, and this one is an important one for a lot of people: GrapheneOS can't do NFC payments, because Google won't sign it as a secure release.
Somebody here clued me in to Unihertz Jelly Star which would let you serve the purpose as a dumb phone, being incredibly tiny but still filling all the needed features. I'm considering getting that for my "mandatory wallet replacement" (2FA, payments, parking apps, EV apps) and just using my GrapheneOS Pixel 7 for handheld entertainment/computing.
I don't think its specifically the NFC payments part that don't work on GrapheneOS.
Its bank apps offering NFC payments that enforce that their installation only is available on phones validating the Google Integrity thingy (don't really remember it now) which is mainly an already present Google Play Services installed as a System service.
My personal bank don't use the Google signing thing and the NFC payments works fine, but this is probably more because of some EU law or way of doing that permits this use case.
To be clear, anything that leverages Google Pay or Samsung Pay won't work. My banks don't offer NFC payments directly, they just integrate with Google Wallet. I'm betting you're benefitting from the EU being slightly less terrible.
I haven't dabbled in custom ROMs in a while, but weren't you able to simulate Integrity with a Magisk module previously?
I remember getting my bank app to (mostly) work on LineageOS a few years back. But to be fair lots have changed since then.
Some Dumbphones are actually cut-down Android devices and can have apps sideloaded. While this defeats the purpose of having a not-Smartphone, the lack of touchscreen will either help or hinder your ability to maintain using it while only having those exceptionally rare necessary apps like 2FA for your bank account. The Kyocera Cadence, for example, had a Snapdragon 210 in it with 1GB of ram.
I own the latest iPhone SE, like it a lot, but I wouldn’t buy one today if I were shopping for a new phone. It’s not exactly “current” (same internals as iPhone 13), battery falls too short, and the last couple iOS really aren’t well thought for its smaller screen.
I’m currently rocking the latest SE and yeah I completely agree with your stance here. If it wasn’t so new (previous one failed in ways that Australian Consumer Law covers, so they just handed me a brand new one out of the box as replacement for zero cost, less than a year ago) then I’d be looking for a new phone about now.
Probably the biggest reason I’m sticking with this one until it dies is because I personally can live with it, and don’t want to contribute to more e-waste just because I can get myself a newer toy to play with.
I also completely agree that the OS is clearly designed for a different screen shape than this, and that bleeds into some apps too. My bank app had a pop-up that was too tall to display on my screen, and therefore the “okay”/“continue” button was hidden, but it wasn’t designed to be scrollable (the usual workaround I see for this issue) so I literally couldn’t use the app until the promo deal or whatever it was trying to advertise was over and stopped popping up when I opened the app. Luckily it’s my secondary bank account for savings, so I rarely need to actually log in and do anything, but still pretty frustrating.
It happened to me as well, more than once. When it's an indie app, I send the dev an email and they sort it out quickly.
I bought mine in mid-2022, a couple months after it was released. I'm okay with its screen and weird app behaviors because of it (I don't use it that much to care), it's the battery that sometimes makes me wish to upgrade. Maybe when the next SE comes out (allegedly next year, iPhone 14 form factor)…
What does that link have to do with it being safe in any sense of the word?
I can't imagine a 10 year old nokia lumia running the abandoned windows phone OS is secure.
But like, why does that matter? They're using it as a dumb phone. They don't need security.
Really depends on your threat model. Who are you protecting yourself from, and how?
If you actually keep wifi, mobile data, and bluetooth turned off 100% of the time and take some extra steps required to make it very unlikely to happen accidentally then, for the most part, sure, it's not that different to having an actual dumb phone (which also have some security issues).
If you do accidentally or intentionally connect to the internet, then technically there are some concerns, though it is statistically unlikely that the circumstances will be 100% ideal for the bad scenarios I can think of.
So if you're careful enough and if your threat model doesn't concern targeted (or semi-targeted) attacks from skilled threat actors (e.g. who would want to use your vulnerable device to infect other devices) and you are willing to take that risk, then honestly, you can go for it.
Would I personally do it? No, I'm a paranoid cybersecurity worker. But is it the end of the world? Nah.
CC: @granfdad
Right but the overwhelming odds are that the threat model is "what's that?" and no one is specifically targeting this rando.
Absolutely, it's very improbable this random person will be specifically targeted.
If we give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they do nothing but make phone calls, that's still a good avenue for an attacker to access private info via listening/recording them. From the photo, it also looks like they use the camera, which means that the camera can be turned on, and there are probably photos (potentially private ones) on the phone.
Even if the user isn't using any advanced functionality, the Lumia does have all sorts of smart capabilites, most notably the ability (and power) to run other apps. More stuff available means more exploits to gain access to the things mentioned above and, for something as famously abandoned as a windows phone, those flaws are almost certainly well documented and un-patched.
There's a certain security provided by the sheer niche-ness (who's attacking windows phones in 2024? much better to focus on iphones and androids), but that doesn't stop someone who is determined to hack this specific person.
I only have a layperson's understanding of cybersecurity, so take all of this with a grain of salt. Hopefully someone knowledgable who is reading this can contest/reinforce my explanation.
Generally speaking, it's very unlikely that a skilled threat actor (typically nation-sponsored hackers or organised criminals) will want to spend their resources to target you individually as a person, unless you are a company or an otherwise notable individual for whatever reason. It's one thing to target a company, a reporter, a security engineer, etc. and another to target your average Joe.
Also, notably, some of these weaknesses technically exist on actual dumb phones as well, in one way or another.
This is getting into paranoia.
I recommend checking out boox if you are interested in a dumb phone.
https://shop.boox.com/products/palma
That's very much a smart phone. It just has an e-ink screen.
Actually it lacks a modem, so it's basically a tiny tablet. I have one of their larger tablets and the e-ink screen does a pretty good job of subtly discouraging social apps etc.
That's not a phone.
Regarding the blogger’s complaints about size: Apple, I’m begging you, please make a new iPhone mini! I bought a 15 this year and the only reasons I bought the 15 over the older mini is USB-C, a better camera, and a few more years of potential support. Please someone just make a 5” or smaller smart phone that has modern function. At this point, I kinda wish that I did go with the mini and just live with the lightning connector.
I also fantasize about returning to the Mini. But I don't think I could step back to Lightning, especially without a headphone jack.
If smaller phones don't sell, I suspect it's for the same reason that sedans 'don't sell' in the USA. Because manufacturers have higher margins on the larger stuff, and fitting everything into the smaller sizes is slightly harder, and the people who buy the newest, shiniest stuff regularly are not the practical-minded folks who buy Minis and sedans.
Oh man, don't even get me started on sedans. Regular Cars actually has a great analysis on what happened to the sedan market and you're pretty much correct with your suspicion that a lot of it comes down to the auto makers pushing what's cheaper and more efficient for them and influencing the market with advertising, partnered with consumers just not being practicality minded https://youtu.be/nOX8QvMNBYY?si=T1XTRiUhS8CGb-Up
I'm pretty consistently pissed off at the auto industry, as a lover of older cars. Until recently, I had a 2001 CR-V, which still is a perfectly reasonably sized SUV for modern times, but it's practically diminutive compared to modern SUVs and even some crossovers. With how much shit I could haul in that CR-V, I have trouble believing people truly need something sized like a VW Atlas, but here we are. And my Miata now has its roof line below the hood line for some SUVs these days, like the Grand Wagoneer. While the Miata is small, it wasn't dangerously small in the 90's. Height wise, it was reasonably sized compared to the majority of cars on the road.
It's a pattern happening in tech, too, where "bigger is better", but at least in tech, it isn't as dangerous as things like grand wagoneers and cybertrucks being able to be on the same roads as something like a miata.
As frustrating as this is, it makes me happy when I find someone else who notices!
Blows my mind that our roads and cars are simply not regulated to ensure that other vehicles won't simply plow through our windows in the event of a collision. Even if you assume no collisions will ever happen between vehicle classes (lol), I find it hard to believe that regulators and carmakers don't get frustrated with tall headlights that wind up above eye level on some vehicles. Never mind illegal lifted vehicles, dangers for pedestrians, and aftermarket headlight replacements with no reasonable cutoff.
I’m surprised that other market forces haven’t also jumped in and (for example) made larger car spaces to fit these larger cars, and charge a premium (paired with penalties for a big vehicle trying to squeeze into a smaller space so people don’t just cheat the system)
I think I inadvertently found a solution to the truck headlight issue, though I need more drive time to be sure. I got a new (to me) Civic Sport Touring recently, and I think my back window is now lower than a lot of large trucks' lights. :D
It also has a neat auto-dimming rear view mirror, and the front glass seems less prone to glare from behind.
It's too late for the linked poster, but for posterity: you can jailbreak iphones. You wouldn't be able to install a new ios version that doesn't support the hardware but there are other OS options that work.
The problem is that the hammer that is used to drive a nail is also the hammer that can be used to smash a window in to break into a house.
When you jailbreak for your own means, you leave your device open to exploits in the wild as you are using exploits to jailbreak your phone. It's effectively bolting open a security flaw for others to use against you.
In the case of a older device that hasn't been getting security updates for a while, there are likely well known exploits that are targeting the OS version. In that case, jailbreaking and installing a more secure OS can improve rather than hurt your security.
That aside, the security risks of jailbreaking are often overexaggerated. The main risk is in jailbreaking to get root access (rather than jailbreaking the bootloader) and then being able to install non vetted apps. If you install something malicious it's easier for it to get root access. But you still have to install the malicious app first. It's like being logged into Windows as the admin user. It doesn't make it easier for you to get hacked, it just potentially gives anything that gets in easier access to full priviledges.
The idea that you're opening a door and leaving it open isn't consistent with any jailbreaking methods I've come across, though that doesn't mean there aren't some where that's the case.
If you are able to root/jailbreak the device, a malicious app or website is able to exploit the device.
Did you already forget about the PNG exploits that allowed for drive-by attacks that affected iOS?
I run custom software on my device. I'm well aware of the risks which is why I'm asking you not to minimize the risks involved with jailbreaking a device.
A website doesn't have the same physical access and other circumstances normally required to root a device. The ability to root a device and the ability to exploit it via the network are rarely the same.
I see you completely forgot about JailBreakMe.com... People were going into iOS stores loading up the website and jailbreaking iOS devices right there on the spot.
The point is, anything you do to jailbreak can also be done by a malicious application to jailbreak. Intention is the only difference.
In terms of software support, google actually leapfrogged Apple last year with 7 years of support (up from their previous policy of 3 years for OS versions and 5 years of security updates). Obviously though Apple has the track record of seeing their support periods out while Google hasn't reached the end of their previous 5 year policy for any devices since that was announced, so they haven't yet proven they'll follow through.
There's also a rumor that the Pixel 6 is getting Android 16 as well since it's on the dev preview.
I understand this guy. (Using an iPad Pro 1st gen perfectly fine, but stuck on iPadOS 16.)
I really feel for this guy. I used an original iPhone SE (iPhone 6S generation, so older than this) up until earlier this year. But the iOS update march pushed me to change phones when more and more apps stopped working on the last supported OS.
I wound up 'sidegrading' to my partner's old Pixel 4a. I wanted a headphone jack, a fingerprint sensor, and a reasonable form factor. I got the first two, though somehow the 4a is still significantly smaller than every modern phone. And it still feels like a dinner plate to me!
At least Google, and Samsung are lengthening support windows to 5-7 years now. It's insane to me that some people upgrade their phone yearly. But, I guess I'm a bit unusual, in that no phone has actually tempted me to upgrade since the original SE.
I'd kill for a small phone. With a headphone jack. And a fingerprint sensor, since face ID kind of sucks if you wear transitions glasses or frequently bundle up for winter weather. But phone companies seem to just make a slightly larger phone with fewer features each year. Personally, the one thing phone companies could do to tempt me is create a combination ereader phone. Instead of a second larger OLED screen inside, give me e-ink! Then I could whip out my ereader anywhere, on the go, and even use it to read longer articles instead of my phone screen.
But who am I kidding. Next year we'll just get another four to six ~6.5" iPhones that don't fit in my pocket, and even larger Galaxy and Pixel phones. And US carrier compatibility + software support will continue to make every other brand a complete nonoption. At least my 4a works well.
Apple heard us a few years back and delivered the mini. I have one and i loooovvvveee it. But there’s so few of us who really want it apparently, it didn’t sell much, and they discontinued it with the 13 :(.
I was so bummed to move away from my 4a, the battery needed replacing but thanks to planned obsolescence, it was cheaper to trade it in for a 7a.
I'm gonna keep this going until the battery replacement law comes into play in the EU in 2027, buy something nice and keep it as long as I can.
I get that it's frustrating, but this is just one of those things that you have to live with; it just doesn't have a solution, and its present with all technology, not just smartphones.
Even if a manufacturer tries as hard as they can to maintain backwards compatibility, newer hardware becomes more and more different from existing hardware over time. The operating systems that support that hardware change to support that new hardware, and to support new features.
Eventually, it becomes cost prohibitive to continue to support older hardware, so the operating system stops getting updates, which means the phone becomes less and less secure over time as new vulnerabilities are discovered, and it becomes less and less compatible with modern features.
This isn't just phones; it's personal computers, servers, routers, switches, modems. It's something that happens with all technology, but it's especially prevalent with things that directly interact with the internet, because of how quickly things on the internet change, and how inherently exposed a device sitting on the internet is.
I know the kneejerk reaction like this is to be mad at the corporation deciding not to support the phone anymore, or phone manufacturers in general, or capitalism as a whole, but it's not really the fault of any of those things, it's just a fact of life. There's a limited amount of human labor available, and devoting a large portion of that labor to areas that not that many people would benefit from just doesn't make a lot of sense, no matter how that labor is organized and motivated.
It's annoying, but it's annoying in the same way stubbing your toe is, or getting wrinkles as you age, or the weather being bad when you were hoping it was going to be good. Irritating, but no one's fault, and something that is just sort of an inherit part of living in the world.
I respectfully disagree. This situation is anything but just a fact of life.
I got force upgraded when the 4G thing happened a year or more back. My Oneplus 3T had 4G but apparently didn't make the cut for ATT >_> But I do like my Pixel 4a because it was smaller.
Still rocking my 4a. I refuse to give up a perfectly working phone and spend money on a new one that pretty much does exactly the same. The size of available phones is also a big factor tho.