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ozonetrooper

Android Expert
Feb 21, 2016
1,075
1,666
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South of Texas
I discovered yesterday that my phone is not only ancient, it no longer has the caller ID block option. I wanted to make a call and remain anonymous and the option to turn off the ID was gone from the list.

After talking to a salesperson at a Boost store I was informed that my Android 10 OS was 3 systems behind the times as Android 13 was the stuff now.

Motorola does not support this phone anymore and I am concerned with safety, although all I do with it is play games, (I used to get phone calls when I was working now the phone has not rang in over a week), no steaming and no banking or other personal business.

I go in to the Boost store today for some info on a new phone and a "retired person" plan that sounded real good over the phone yesterday.

Will report back on the deal zone !
 
Well, I have learned more about phones and prices in the past couple of days than I need for the rest of my life.

Seems to be Android 11 is affordable, 12 is not and 13 is way not ....

I have looked at something called a TCL brand, (same as the tv set) and it is Android 13 dust/water resistant and has many bells and whistles for what seems to be less than any of the others that lack either one or two of the features I am after.

Any comments on this one ?

 
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I discovered yesterday that my phone is not only ancient, it no longer has the caller ID block option. I wanted to make a call and remain anonymous and the option to turn off the ID was gone from the list.

After talking to a salesperson at a Boost store I was informed that my Android 10 OS was 3 systems behind the times as Android 13 was the stuff now.

Motorola does not support this phone anymore and I am concerned with safety, although all I do with it is play games, (I used to get phone calls when I was working now the phone has not rang in over a week), no steaming and no banking or other personal business.

I go in to the Boost store today for some info on a new phone and a "retired person" plan that sounded real good over the phone yesterday.

Will report back on the deal zone !
It seems your older Android phone lacks essential features and software support. Considering an upgrade is a wise move, especially for safety and improved functionality.
Visiting the Boost store for information on new phone options and the "retired person" plan is a good step. It's essential to find a plan that matches your needs, especially if your phone usage is primarily for gaming and not for calls or personal transactions.
Enjoy your shopping experience, and do share any noteworthy deals you come across!
 
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That TCL phone you posted does appear to be a nice buy, Android 13, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, and a 5000mAh battery. But there are drawbacks if you do consider long-term support to be an issue. Aside from no 5G cellular support (a future-proofing aspect) and no NFC (if you ever get into retail cash exchanges), there is the over-riding issue where lessor brands, like TCL, just don't provide the same level of long-term support for their phones. Google and Samsung are five years or more some of their phones, OnePlus is doing a catch-up effort. You either need to pay more for a phone model that does provide version upgrades and those monthly security patches, or save on buying a cheaper phone and just accepting it will only receive limited long-term support.
 
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The best combo of low price and long term support I know of is the Samsung A series phones, they are budget/mid tier phones with 4 years of updates. The Pixel "a" models will be the next best - Pixel 6a, 7a, and likely 8a if it's released in the future.

Or if you're familiar with installing custom ROMs the Moto G7 Power is still supported by LineageOS with an Android 13 ROM:
 
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I have no plans for retail cash exchanges, and am not so concerned with it being a 4G phone, I just need it to make and receive calls.

I am very computer literate, but kinda of slow on phone work, not interested in attempting custom ROM install.

Thankx for the suggestion, I will look at the Samsung A series phones.

And thankx to all who have contributed to my questions.
 
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