When your phone stops getting updates, it hasn’t stopped working — it’s just been orphaned. The apps get glitchy, security warnings pop up, and you’re pushed to upgrade. But what if you can’t afford to?
Or what if you just don’t want to discard perfectly usable tech?
Forced Obsolescence, Not Real Failure
Tech companies claim that support must end. But that often just means they stop sending updates — not that the device is incapable of running.
- Apps refuse to run on older OS versions
- Security patches stop
- Entire features are disabled remotely
These are policy choices, not engineering limits.
The Cost of Discarding Working Hardware
Every year, millions of smartphones are thrown out simply because the OS is no longer supported.
- This fuels the e-waste crisis
- It forces users (often low-income) to buy expensive new devices
- It creates a hidden class divide between the “up-to-date” and the “left behind”
For many, spending $1,000+ on a new phone is simply not possible. Yet no real alternative is offered.
A Simple, Reasonable Fix: Pay-for-Support Legacy Plans
Here’s the proposal:
- Allow users to keep their devices with a waiver acknowledging limited protection
- Offer $25/year plans that provide basic security patches and compatibility updates
- Provide clear warnings about limitations, but don’t block them from use
This would:
- Keep people connected
- Slow down landfill-bound waste
- Give people time to recover financially or transition naturally
Better Than the Credit Bureau Grift
When a company gets breached, users are often offered a few months of “free credit monitoring”… which flips into $25/month charges if you don’t cancel. It feels like a scam because it kind of is.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to prevent harm by letting people use secure older devices instead of forcing them onto unsupported ones?
Some even speculate that the credit bureaus and banks benefit from these breaches through affiliate agreements. Whether provable or not, it reveals a larger pattern: profit from the fix, not the prevention.
Final Thought: Dignity, Not Upgrades
This isn’t about resisting progress. It’s about making room for graceful transitions instead of forced replacements.
A $25 support plan for legacy phones is practical, ecological, and compassionate.
Because no one should have to choose between a functioning phone and basic financial survival.
