Part of the reason apps don't work is because the upgrade policies of the app stores, requiring ever increasing minimum OS version. Forced software obsolescence.

I have an alarm app for android (Gentle Alarm), that’s IMO by far the best there is (YMMV obviously, but I never found another one with the same features). It was originally paid, but long ago abandoned (as in: the dev disappeared completely). Using it today required unpacking the APK, changing the manifest, repacking, and then installing it via ADB using the `-bypass-low-target-sdk-block` flag, then manually adding the "draw over other apps" permission.

Once that is done, it works fully as expected. I dread the day some new version will fully block it.

At least you got APK file.

I can't reinstall a small stupid clock app I've found once (it had decimal, French revolutionary, hex, Roman format, star trek time and date) on my iPhone because it's no longer listed in library nor store itself and I didn't ever included it in backups.

It's buried on iPad 1 that cannot boot any more.

The main reason for this is to force the publishers to stop relying on deprecated APIs that have way too much access, and migrate towards new APIs that offer more fine grained permissions and control to the user.

BTW The stores requirements are not really about minimum OS version of the phone, but minimum SDK version of the build chain. It's often possible to have secure code path for new OS and the legacy code path for old OS, but in practice it can be burdensome sometimes.

Not true, no one stops you from publishing a app for Android 1.0 on the Play store. It's going to be hard though, you won't be able to request any permissions etc.

Not in Play store, but on F-Droid you still can publish new software to old devices.

Aye. In last years I quite often saw comments in Apple's appstore from really angry people whose devices were left behind after one update. The developers/companies and the garden's guardians gave them unspoken "get new phone" option.

And this would not change anything about that.

Yes it would.

> longer availability of operating system updates, at least 5 years from the date the last unit model is sold

Availability of OS updates does not imply "ideal" user experience...

Well the person you're replying to didn't say anything about "ideal" user experience, they're talking about the phone being usable. There's a whole spectrum between these two points

5 years is a joke.

The article mentions "longer availability of operating system updates, at least 5 years from the date the last unit model is sold". So it would absolutely change everything about that.

Not directly, but it sets a course where this might change.