How to force a more recent Android version on an old Smartphone?

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Hello,
I own a Wiko Rainbow Jam 3G, which came out in 2015 with Android 5.1. Because of my bank I need a more recent version of Android, the problem is the update won't work and I'm stuck with said version.
My question is, is there a way to install a newer version manually? I don't really mind if it means using an unofficial Android version, as long as it does the job, I'm fine with it.

Thanks for the potential answers!
 
Would probably have to build your own, since it appears that is a pretty obscure phone (at least, no custom roms pop up in search, and xda has no dedicated subforums for it). You'll need the kernel source, info about your specific device (chips, rom locations/contents, etc), and how to get into recovery/fastboot and gain root. You'll have to get familiar with android build tools and how to put it all together.

The extent of my knowledge is how to root and flash a few custom roms for some popular phones. I'm afraid I won't be much help.
 
A seven year old phone with no community is unlikely to be an easy thing to update. And, a lot of custom roms can get flagged by banks as not secure enough. You're probably going to need to get a different phone. If you're going to get something used, take a look at Lineage and try to pick a phone on their list; then you might have options when the original manufacturer stops updates.
 
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A seven year old phone with no community is unlikely to be an easy thing to update. And, a lot of custom roms can get flagged by banks as not secure enough. You're probably going to need to get a different phone. If you're going to get something used, take a look at Lineage and try to pick a phone on their list; then you might have options when the original manufacturer stops updates.
Was going to say this as well; rooting and running a custom kernel will break the SafetyNet service (that tells apps the phone isn't compromised in any way and is on its OEM OS) that pretty much all banking apps rely upon.

You need a new phone unfortunately and that's all there is to it.
 
Hello,
I own a Wiko Rainbow Jam 3G, which came out in 2015 with Android 5.1. Because of my bank I need a more recent version of Android, the problem is the update won't work and I'm stuck with said version.
My question is, is there a way to install a newer version manually? I don't really mind if it means using an unofficial Android version, as long as it does the job, I'm fine with it.

Thanks for the potential answers!
Going to agree with toast0 and T4rd here: the truth is that you're going to need a new phone. Installing a custom ROM would be tricky by itself, and you'd probably lose the security your bank wants.

With that said, if you can justify getting a new phone... what's your budget? We can likely suggest a few devices that would fit the bill.
 
First of all, thanks for all the answers. I kind of knew that I needed a new phone, but if I could get around with my current one...
For my budget, the lower the better, I have tried the Realme 8 and it seemed pretty decent and not too expensive.

My goal is to keep it as long as possible, I don't really care about the fancy options, I just want to be able to have the most recent Android version as long as I can.
 
Another issue, a modern OS on an old phone could make it run at a crawl.
This might be one of the reasons for lack of support.
It seems a futile exercise.
 
Another issue, a modern OS on an old phone could make it run at a crawl.
This might be one of the reasons for lack of support.
It seems a futile exercise.
Depends, I've seen significant perf improvement between certain android versions. But a major hurdle could be porting the driver to the latest kernel, and system ram/rom size, depending on how limited the device is.
 
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Regarding the Realme 8, is there a strong contender in the same price range (~ €160/€180) in Europe?
 
^^that


this forum is probably 90% american, not sure youll get an answer on that one. ive never even heard of that brand...
It's a Chinese brand, so I'd expect it to be available in many countries. I guess I was wrong then haha.
The oneplus nord n200 is very similar, although it compromises in a few places for it's price. Dunno if price is comparable, but I got mine for $250 in the US, and gsmarena is showing $90.

https://m.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=10810&idPhone2=10961
Perfect, thanks. Looks interesting!
 
It's a Chinese brand, so I'd expect it to be available in many countries. I guess I was wrong then haha.

Perfect, thanks. Looks interesting!
Are you against used phones? I mean, I can get a pixel device or Huawei for around $150 locally and it will be supported for ages, as they are usually using android 10 and up.
 
Are you against used phones? I mean, I can get a pixel device or Huawei for around $150 locally and it will be supported for ages, as they are usually using android 10 and up.
That might sound really stupid considering disinfectants exist, but since there is a pandemic I'd rather avoid second-hand phones.
 
I don't think Covid can just survive on a phone for months.
 
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I don't think Covid can just survive on a phone for months.
At the start of the Covid epidemic, cruise ships had massive infections, some were evacuated and not touched.
Then tests were performed after about 4 months and Covid was still found on surfaces in living quarters on the ship.
What isnt so clear though is how transmittable it is from things you touch.

Regardless I still wear clean gloves when shopping etc cos its a simple risk reduction.
 
At the start of the Covid epidemic, cruise ships had massive infections, some were evacuated and not touched.
Then tests were performed after about 4 months and Covid was still found on surfaces in living quarters on the ship.
What isnt so clear though is how transmittable it is from things you touch.

Regardless I still wear clean gloves when shopping etc cos its a simple risk reduction.

One time I caught scabies from touching objects in a grocery store. I guess you can never be too careful when it comes to stuff like that.
 
At the start of the Covid epidemic, cruise ships had massive infections, some were evacuated and not touched.
Then tests were performed after about 4 months and Covid was still found on surfaces in living quarters on the ship.
What isnt so clear though is how transmittable it is from things you touch.

Regardless I still wear clean gloves when shopping etc cos its a simple risk reduction.
9 days max, with very low transmission from surfaces.

https://www.healthline.com/health/how-long-does-coronavirus-last-on-surfaces#different-surfaces

https://www.webmd.com/lung/how-long-covid-19-lives-on-surfaces
 
Sadly I think I must have watched the report on TV News, I cant find evidence of it online atm ...

Another discovery found it 17 days after:
https://www.technologyreview.com/20...on-surfaces-for-a-lot-longer-than-we-thought/
But it might be just genetic material, not the complete virus.
So its possible the same happened when they found it months later in the report I saw.

Your reports hold ground much better.
 
if you buy a used phone from a reburbisher/company they will have cleaning procedures in place. plus add the time it sits before and during shipping there would be next 0 chance of transmission.
 
I just bought a phone from someone with the 'Rona, lol. Not letting fear, esp. of any mild flu or cold, dictate my decisions. I'll wipe it down with a Lysol wipe when I get it and drive on. I'm the only one I know of around me now that hasn't got it yet too, or at least tested positive for it before a flight or something like a few co-workers did with zero symptoms during their quarantine period.

So yeah I'd recommend used/refurbished as well if you want to be as cheap as possible while also getting the longest software support. A used Pixel 4a or 5a would probably be the sweet spot for your price range maybe. Not sure about any Chinese brands though.
 
Look at Motorola phones. Pretty affordable and mostly are supported by lineage and other popular custom roms
Agreed. My lengthy history with phones has always included a Motorola phone for their low cost and good performance.
If you buy one new you will also be buying a phone with a new battery, which is no small consideration.
Your new phone will have Android 11 which will comply with your bank, no need to modify the operating system.
 
I don't think Covid can just survive on a phone for months.
It's this kind of disinformation, which helps the foil hat community to remain susceptible to diseases and then spreading them, by believing foolish things.

Viruses don't 'die' because they're not alive. They can remain intact for, well, potentially forever, depending on what it is. They don't need water, they don't need nutrition of any kind. They are genetic information only, inside a capsule or protein coat, with attachment points on it, which are of a sort so as to attach to a living cell and inject their dna or rna into the cell which takes over the cell and starts reproducing more virus dna/rna and capsules/protein coats, which then instructs the cell to destroy itself releasing all those new virus bits into whatever environment it is in. That's the short answer.

It's the reason why scientists had to take precautions when digging up the remains of people who died of the 1918 pandemic, to get intact genetic information about that H1N1 type virus (yes, there are more than one H1N1 virus, surprise surprise, those H and N numbers indicate a TYPE of virus, not a single identified one, just as there are many different corona viruses; 'novel coronavirus' just meant one that hadn't been observed in the wild by scientists yet. Why crazy mad scientists feel the need to confuse the public by intentionally using the word 'novel' instead of 'new', I don't know).

Be careful out there, people.
 
It's this kind of disinformation, which helps the foil hat community to remain susceptible to diseases and then spreading them, by believing foolish things.

Viruses don't 'die' because they're not alive. They can remain intact for, well, potentially forever, depending on what it is. They don't need water, they don't need nutrition of any kind.

It's the reason why scientists had to take precautions when digging up the remains of people who died of the 1918 pandemic, to get intact genetic information about that H1N1 type virus (yes, there are more than one H1N1 virus, surprise surprise, those H and N numbers indicate a TYPE of virus, not a single identified one, just as there are many different corona viruses; 'novel coronavirus' just meant one that hadn't been observed in the wild by scientists yet. Why crazy mad scientists feel the need to confuse the public by intentionally using the word 'novel' instead of 'new', I don't know).

Be careful out there, people.
True, but viruses are made of "stuff", and "stuff" does break down over time, either naturally or due to environmental conditions. Phones aren't the most favorable environment for a virus, which is why the CDC says the virus has a shorter (about 3 days) surface survival duration on "non-porous" surfaces (glass/plastic/stainless steel).

They also say,
Findings of these studies suggest that the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection via the fomite transmission route is low, and generally less than 1 in 10,000, which means that each contact with a contaminated surface has less than a 1 in 10,000 chance of causing an infection.

Note: "contaminated surface", not just any surface.

Of course caution is still warranted, you should still wash your hands frequently and disinfect surfaces with an appropriate solution, but you don't have to be paranoid except if you know you are around infected people or are more susceptible to infection.
 
True, but viruses are made of "stuff", and "stuff" does break down over time, either naturally or due to environmental conditions. Phones aren't the most favorable environment for a virus, which is why the CDC says the virus has a shorter (about 3 days) surface survival duration on "non-porous" surfaces (glass/plastic/stainless steel).

They also say,


Note: "contaminated surface", not just any surface.

Of course caution is still warranted, you should still wash your hands frequently and disinfect surfaces with an appropriate solution, but you don't have to be paranoid except if you know you are around infected people or are more susceptible to infection.
I'm a nurse, I'm not paranoid about disease. I just know the proper preventative measures which should be taken. And despite not getting into medical school, I did take all the same science courses which someone who is interested in diseases, would take. SOME viruses have a shorter surface survival duration outside of living things. Other viruses aren't necessarily limited to that. The problem is that the average person has no idea which might survive, and which might not. So just assuming that you're safe, well, again, is why diseases get spread instead of stopped. Had everyone taken universal precautions when Covid-19 broke out, we wouldn't have had a pandemic. But NOOOOOOOOOO, let's all pretend we know everything, and just go about everything as normal. We're still suffering from that ignorance, as the virus continues to infect, and mutate as it goes along, because people can't be bothered to try to contain it, because they 'want to get back to normal', go to parties, have fun, and of course, spread whatever they are infected with, around as much as possible, because that's the result of all those fun times.

So go ahead. Tell people to just forget about taking any precautions. You're part of the problem, not the solution. Remember that the next time you hear about someone you knew, dying from infectious disease. You might be the cause, because you don't think it's likely that you might spread it.
 
I'm a nurse, I'm not paranoid about disease. I just know the proper preventative measures which should be taken. And despite not getting into medical school, I did take all the same science courses which someone who is interested in diseases, would take. SOME viruses have a shorter surface survival duration outside of living things. Other viruses aren't necessarily limited to that. The problem is that the average person has no idea which might survive, and which might not. So just assuming that you're safe, well, again, is why diseases get spread instead of stopped. Had everyone taken universal precautions when Covid-19 broke out, we wouldn't have had a pandemic. But NOOOOOOOOOO, let's all pretend we know everything, and just go about everything as normal. We're still suffering from that ignorance, as the virus continues to infect, and mutate as it goes along, because people can't be bothered to try to contain it, because they 'want to get back to normal', go to parties, have fun, and of course, spread whatever they are infected with, around as much as possible, because that's the result of all those fun times.

So go ahead. Tell people to just forget about taking any precautions. You're part of the problem, not the solution. Remember that the next time you hear about someone you knew, dying from infectious disease. You might be the cause, because you don't think it's likely that you might spread it.
Pretty sure that's not what I said, but okay. Yeah, washing your hands and disinfecting surfaces is totally not taking any precautions...

Also, I posted that link to the CDC because some might consider it somewhat credible, and they have studies referenced on that page, with links right next to the text I quoted. I don't know how credible they are, but it's better than nothing I suppose,
 
I think one of the things you may have missed, was this: "these studies suggest".
You will come across lots of qualifiers, which indicate that they aren't sure; it's currently just a 'best guess'. And we can't just assume that those are correct guesses. We see a lot of that in scientific journals these days, and then it gets printed into other areas where people misinterpret it as being absolute. The whole cholesterol hypothesis is filled with that nonsense. And Fauci screwed up every so often, when he would go out and say things that could be misinterpreted as well.
You don't always know when you're around infected people; they are usually infective before they show any signs of having the disease.
 
I think one of the things you may have missed, was this: "these studies suggest".
You will come across lots of qualifiers, which indicate that they aren't sure; it's currently just a 'best guess'. And we can't just assume that those are correct guesses. We see a lot of that in scientific journals these days, and then it gets printed into other areas where people misinterpret it as being absolute. The whole cholesterol hypothesis is filled with that nonsense. And Fauci screwed up every so often, when he would go out and say things that could be misinterpreted as well.
You don't always know when you're around infected people; they are usually infective before they show any signs of having the disease.
Aside from wearing a mask (which doesn't help with surface transmission, and I didn't say not to do that anyway) or never touching anything ("paranoid," and as I said, for some people it is reasonable to be), I don't see how you could be much more careful than I suggested (wash your hands and disinfect surfaces). You seem to be taking issue with something I didn't say or imply. I think the CDC's recommendation of 3 days is fair if you feel you have to quarantine something (a device or area), especially if you are also using disinfectant and washing your hands. The fact is they have done studies, the scientists are familiar with viruses with an envelop like covid-19 has, and their data has shown significant reduction (99%) in detectable virus in non-porous surfaces after 3 days.

That doesn't mean that more virus could not be introduced in that time, or that you could not be exposed some other way, however. Which is why hand washing and surface disinfection is still reasonable and (imo) important, regardless of how long an area has been quarantined.
 
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Take it to the COVID thread. You guys went way off topic. You guys completely hijacked the OPs thread.
 
I have been a long time xda member and 3rd party rom user... From my droid inceredible to my lg v20. I have some advise if you want a phone always updated long beyond its life span look before you buy if there is no comunity good luck you will be doing much of it yourself.

I found that out with my moto x pure 2015 open phone asop like feel very short lived comunity support i believe android 9 was available it shipped with 7... My samsung galaxy note 3 closed phone but phenominal comunity support it is still getting custom roms today it has android 12 available for it and it shipped with 4.3.

My lg v20 had 7 for a long time but eventually 9 got released. And now i have a used lg v50 with 12 on it... I kinda wish i had gone for the v60 or note 20 ultra but only the v50 has some community support and a path for root.
 
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