[Mobile Phone] - What version of Android can I use.

[Deleted]

Doesn't seem to be a suitable place, and since this is an OS question, I think it might be best here. Perhaps we could have a Gadgets Subsection ? Something for the mod's to think about.

Anyway, to my request.

I have recently had to buy a new phone as my ageing blackberry suddenly got the White screen of death. so I bought a second hand Sony Xperia SL (LT26ii) This came with the Ice cream sandwich version of Android (4.04), and no Google support. The only way I was able to get the needed google support was to re-flash it to Jelly bean (4.12),

Now not knowing much in the way of android, and smart phones, I am coming to you guys as some of the sites I have been looking at tend to send you round in circles with no clear info, What I am wanting to know is

1 - can you upgrade any android enabled phone to any version of Android ? or am I limited to the a specific version due to my phone,
2 - if I am limited, do you know which version I can use.
3 - Can I use other os on it, such as windows mobile ?

any help welcome

[Elite Peon]

Doesn't seem to be a suitable place, and since this is an OS question, I think it might be best here. Perhaps we could have a Gadgets Subsection ? Something for the mod's to think about.

Anyway, to my request.

I have recently had to buy a new phone as my ageing blackberry suddenly got the White screen of death. so I bought a second hand Sony Xperia SL (LT26ii) This came with the Ice cream sandwich version of Android (4.04), and no Google support. The only way I was able to get the needed google support was to re-flash it to Jelly bean (4.12),

Now not knowing much in the way of android, and smart phones, I am coming to you guys as some of the sites I have been looking at tend to send you round in circles with no clear info, What I am wanting to know is

1 - can you upgrade any android enabled phone to any version of Android ? or am I limited to the a specific version due to my phone,
2 - if I am limited, do you know which version I can use.
3 - Can I use other os on it, such as windows mobile ?

any help welcome

1: You are limited in the sense of what that your phone was built to be able to do . Let me say this ...my Moto G has had 4 android updates because it is an android native phone but most android phones would not be able to do this .
2: It's pretty simple in this regard . You find system update under settings and it will update you to the highest version possible ...no tricks necessary what you upgrade to is the best you will get with that phone .
3: No so to speak ....well I have heard of people using varied versions of android with unrooted phones but it's a pretty complex process you would have to research .

After looking up your phone . I have to say your phone is not to bad at all . The version of android you are able to use is not bad at all and the hardware you have is more than decent for an average person so just enjoy that cheap badboy :-P

[chazus]

Eh, looking at that phone.. It's older and less powerful than the free phone I got with my AT&T service like... 3 years ago. It's pretty aging and a LOT of apps won't even work on 4.1, even with google support.

How much did you pay for it? I see Moto G's on sale at Best Buy for $25 with a $25 rebate... Or even cheapy $9 phones at Family Dollar which may run better. Android version is pretty important these days, and anything running below 4.2 may not even work with a lot of stuff.

Again, it depends on how much you actually use your phone. Do you use it to make phone calls, text, and the occasional googling something? it's probably fine. But if you pay more than $20 for it, I'd send it back.

[Deleted]

Eh, looking at that phone.. It's older and less powerful than the free phone I got with my AT&T service like... 3 years ago. It's pretty aging and a LOT of apps won't even work on 4.1, even with google support.

How much did you pay for it? I see Moto G's on sale at Best Buy for $25 with a $25 rebate... Or even cheapy $9 phones at Family Dollar which may run better. Android version is pretty important these days, and anything running below 4.2 may not even work with a lot of stuff.

Again, it depends on how much you actually use your phone. Do you use it to make phone calls, text, and the occasional googling something? it's probably fine. But if you pay more than $20 for it, I'd send it back.

Paid £20 quid for it, Not an exorbitant amount of money, and considering it is (at the moment) doing far, far more than my b happy with the Blackberry ever did. So far I have managed to get all the major social media set up, Skype, a few games and sky.go all up and running. I have even got it to see my Plex server (htpc) I know its not bleeding edge technology but this is far more than I was ever able to do on an BB 8900 so I am extremely happy with the device.

I am however interested in finding out what the most upto date OS is I can use,

[Blueobelisk]

The most up to date OS you can use depends on your phone manufacturer. They're the ones who have to deal with making it work with their firmware after a new android version comes out (I think the latest one is Lollipop 5.0). So you can wait until Sony updates your phone so it's ready for Android. Thats not on androids end.

Here's an article I found on it: http://www.howtogeek.com/129273/why-...n-do-about-it/

[chazus]

So you can wait until Sony updates your phone so it's ready for Android.

However, Sony won't. Not a phone that old.

[Vash The Stampede]

The Xperia SL is the same device as S and the method to installing a custom rom is the same. There's a whole section devoted to this phone on XDA. Here's a 5.1 ROM called SIMPLEASOP that's Android 5.1 Getting the rom onto the phone should be rather straight forward.

#1 Root the phone. Geohot's Towelroot might work, otherwise a quick Google might explain how to do it.
#2 Install a TWRP recovery. This will allow you to install the rom onto your phone.
#3 Download the rom and gapps. Gapps is basically the Google apps like the Play Store.
#4 Boot into recovery, which may require a series of key presses when the phone is off or download an app off play store that reboots into recovery.
#5 BACKUP YOUR PHONE FIRST. Help to have room on your SD Card. Anything goes wrong you can always restore the phone.
#6 Wipe the phone.
#7 Install the Rom.
#8 Install Gapps.
#9 Reboot phone.
#10 Prey the phone boots.
#11 Flash SuperSU.

keep in mind that all roms are created for the S and not SL which means the default clock speed is going to be 1.5Ghz instead of the 1.7Ghz that the SL has but that can be easily corrected by overclocking the CPU again. Practically all roms come with overclock function.

[Artorius]

Yeah, there seems to be a good number of developers working at the device at XDA, you can flash a 5.1 ROM.

[Deleted]

<snip>

Thanks for the informative post Duken, I really felt like I was vanishing down a rabbit hole chasing various snip bits of information from one link to another. Will give it a shot tonight

[Vash The Stampede]

Let me know how it goes or doesn't. There are other roms to choose from for that phone. There's CM12.1 as well but I think it's less stable than ASOP. Never know. Oh and try Google Now Launcher so you can say "OK Google" and tell the device what to do. Very useful.

[Artorius]

CM is easier to port than pure AOSP, and tends to work less bad at non AOSP by default devices like the nexus line.