this post was submitted on 26 Mar 2024
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I can guarantee this user is not using an iPhone from 2011 - the iPhone 4s went to shit after the first few years of updates
Samsung Galaxy S2. With a replaceable battery and good external cover, that thing can last for a long time. I did contribute to e-waste by replacing the battery three times so far, but that's all.
I can guarantee that any Android phone with a good modding community can last this much. He's probably using Samsung galaxy s series or those old Google Nexus phone.
My phone's official support stopped at Android 10 yet I'm currently running Android 14 with the help of custom rom.
Don't be so certain. Using jailbreaks the 4s can be downgraded to either 8.4.1 or 6.1.3. My own one is on 8.4.1 and old.Lemmy.world renders perfectly on it. I'll grab it actually and see if I can reply to this comment.
I've always thought I had a 4s laying around. But just checked and it's a 5c. With a broken screen. Would that be worth to have fixed and try to jailbreak to use it in 2024?
Most I do is Whatsapp, Lemmy, YouTube and browse the web. Casually.
I have a Galaxy S7 right now but it has never been comfortable to hold for me and the battery is getting old.
You could do the screen replacement yourself which honestly isn't too difficult if you follow a repair guide such as the ones iFixit make available. You may find it cheaper to find an iCloud locked 5c with a functional screen than to buy a replacement screen itself, and you have spare parts should you need them.
However, I believe the 5c was a bit of an underwhelming phone because it was effectively the same as the iPhone 5 that came before it. The latest iOS it got was 10.3.4, which is pretty much unusable in 2024 without jailbreaks. You would need to find tweaks to try and fix apps that are broken, and force the app store to serve you older versions of apps. It's possible to try and make it usable but I do honestly think it's a losing battle as more and more apps update and break compatibility.
If you're really into the form factor of the 5c you could find a used SE 1st gen which got to iOS 15 but still looks exactly like an iPhone 5, as these are still very daily drivable without jailbreaks.
Otherwise, I'd usually say its best to keep your S7 going, and install custom ROMs like LineageOS to keep it going further. If an Android phone has mainstream ROM support (by LineageOS or hobbyists on XDA Developers) it's usually much easier to keep it going for longer than an iPhone, and it's usually more secure as you're getting OS updates again.
My iPhone 4s is a proof of concept device that shows it's possible to have it work with some services today (Fediverse via old.Lemmy.world, Spotify, Discord, iMessage, Reddit via Narwhal, Maps, Telegram, YouTube via m.youtube.com, and Hacker News) but it is a very slow and patience testing experience in nearly all of those. I would not consider my 4s daily drivable and it's exactly why I use it for a distraction free music player with modern conveniences.
Edit: I should mention that a community I frequented on Reddit was r/LegacyJailbreak, so they will have much further information for you should you want to ultimately repair and reuse your iPhone 5c
Thanks for your comment. That's interesting.
After your post I think I wouldn't go through the trouble of repairing that 5c. I now remember how it was always running out of storage space. So it wasn't an ideal phone, even if it was more comfortable to hold. I'm actually considering looking for a Samsung Galaxy S4 now since there seem to be more recent versions of LineageOS for them.
All the best with that. I have a Galaxy S5 and it is still daily drivable, although it lives it's retirement years as a dashcam that I can quickly deploy in any car should I need it.
Hello! Not sure if the screenshot will attach to this comment but I was able to successfully log into Lemmy and I'm replying to your comment from my iPhone 4s.
With all of this being said and done, I do agree that OP is not likely to be using an iPhone. An Android phone from this period is way more usable than this iPhone even with all the hacks I've done to it.
Haha that’s pretty awesome! Maybe I was too quick to judge :-D