Hi all, I have an older Samsung Galaxy S-4 that I like, I'm used to it and it still works well. I noticed that the last update to the phone was January 2017. Is that normal or is this phone not well supported? Does having an older phone put me ask risk for hacking? I have no anti virus or additional security on the phone and wouldn't know what to get. Additionally why do apps need access to my SD card with the ability to read,modify and delete content and make changes to it? Thanks!

Your phone is considered quite old, even if it's only 4 years old. I'm surprised you got an update this year since most carriers/OEMs only update their phones for 2 years at the most.Having an older phone does put you more at risk because of the lack of updates. It's a merry go round the carriers and manufacturers like you on, where you update every 2 years or so because they're not making any money off you on your phone at this point unless you upgrade. As far as anti-virus for phones, it really doesn't do that much because the OS keeps all the apps away from each other - unlike a computer, where an AV product can run at a very low level and see everything, on a phone the AV app has no special permission to allow it to do anything.Apps need access to the SD card to store data. Depending on the app this may or may not make sense. Think of a photo editing app - it certainly needs to be able to see your pictures (read access) and be able to make changes to them (write access). Other apps, like a flashlight, for example, has no need at all to access your SD card in this manner. Depending on the version of Android you have, you might be able to grant each permission separately, or it might be all all-or-nothing situation if your OS is older than Android 6.

I loved my S4 but I was living on a boat for a year and it corroded just as if I had dropped it into the toilet. Now I have an S6.Not sure about the updates, could be they stopped updating the older model just as Apple is doing with the IOS 11 release where it won't support 32 bit phones.As far as the SD card, I guess it depends the app. Maybe if your phone fills it wants to be able to store data on the SD card if it is installed. One of the nice things I noticed after a recent update (could have happened earlier) is that I have complete control over each setting for every non-builtin app. At least it gives me the illusion that I control my phone :W.Dave

I currently also have a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone. Previous posters are correct about the older OS on these phones being more vulnerable to security issues. Another issue that I am having is that a number of android apps do not work on my phone as they were written utilizing a newer OS. I have been looking for a replacement but the Galaxy S8 is too expensive. One of my sons got a Galaxy S7. The front has gorilla glass but the back of the phone does not. He dropped his phone and the back is now cracked. The Galaxy S6 does not have SIM card capabilities and the Galaxy S5 is not much newer than what I have.I looked at the LG G6 but it has a built in battery that is not replaceable. And the Google smart phone (I can't remember the current model name) again has no SIM card capability as they are pushing their cloud storage. Motorola looks like a good alternative if I can get a decent price on a current model.

Had an S4 loved it except the horrible battery life. When we were i our favorite park the battery would be toast in less than 3 hours. Got a new Motorola Droid and in the same park the battery was still going strong after all day. Upgrade to a new phone. You will not regret it.

Look to the Motorola phones if you have to replace. Moto G4 has the ability to work with most carriers cdma and gsm services. You can go from ATT to Verizon or anyone else, and not have to change phones, if you buy from Motorola direct, you get a lot less "clutter" as far as extra apps that the phone companies put on the phone, and the prices are as little as $150.

Older phone question | Good Sam Community

11 Replies

bwanshoom
Explorer
Sep 19, 2017
Your phone is considered quite old, even if it's only 4 years old. I'm surprised you got an update this year since most carriers/OEMs only update their phones for 2 years at the most.

Having an older phone does put you more at risk because of the lack of updates. It's a merry go round the carriers and manufacturers like you on, where you update every 2 years or so because they're not making any money off you on your phone at this point unless you upgrade. As far as anti-virus for phones, it really doesn't do that much because the OS keeps all the apps away from each other - unlike a computer, where an AV product can run at a very low level and see everything, on a phone the AV app has no special permission to allow it to do anything.

Apps need access to the SD card to store data. Depending on the app this may or may not make sense. Think of a photo editing app - it certainly needs to be able to see your pictures (read access) and be able to make changes to them (write access). Other apps, like a flashlight, for example, has no need at all to access your SD card in this manner. Depending on the version of Android you have, you might be able to grant each permission separately, or it might be all all-or-nothing situation if your OS is older than Android 6.

Forum Discussion

Older phone question

11 Replies

About RV Must Haves

Related Content

Phone/email question

Older information needed

cell phone

Question about the older diesel's

New Phone