“Nena, look at the mobile phone that I don’t know what happened that everything has changed. I can’t find anything,” said my mother just a few days ago. I looked at my mobile and understood what was happening, Your mobile had been updated. They are two very different realities: what would be a reason for joy for me is an awkward moment. This has made me consider that there are enough reasons to update may not be something positive. What if you are right?
When updates are a nuisance
In my family all They turn to me when they need to be configured by a deviceI am something like “the computer niece.” It is not the first time that An update causes the bewilderment of my relatives, especially the older ones. Every time a new one arrives, especially if it is a larger update of Android, I know that it awaits me a good time of: “I had that otherwise” and “you have changed everything.”
Even if there is every time More elderly connectedthe generational digital divide It is a reality. In the case of my parents, they are handled quite well sailing and using different devices, but his Kriptonite They are the changes and if they are unexpected even worse.
When the mobile is updated, the design of the icons or the arrangement of the menus changes, this causes a Rupture in muscle memory. It has also happened to me when reorganizing my home screen and wanting to open an app, but not find it. I have got used to quickly, but it is true that at first it is a nuisance. For my parents, spending time to learn the new interface and configure the new functions is an unnecessary complication.
Beyond fear of change
There are people fleeing updates for other reasons. If something has taught us history is that Sometimes updating is not a good idea. There have been few cases of Updates that have gone wrong. On the iPhone 15 Pro, Apple admitted that An iOS 17 bug was causing them to heat more than normal and another update made the iPhone restart unexpectedly. It has also passed on Android, like when The update to One UI 6.1 did not feel good to some Samsung Galaxy or when OnePlus had to stop an update Because I was full of errors.
Image: Xataka Android
Then there is the problem of old mobiles. In Android, Update support has improved a lotbut lower ranges mobiles do not usually go from the two years of updates. And it makes sense since many times the new versions make the hardware work more and that translates into performance falls or batteries that last a sigh. Apple starred in a controversial sound after admitting that reduced the performance of the oldest iPhone intentionallysupposedly to protect the battery life.
Many people are expected to update major versions until they are sure that they are not causing errors like the ones we have mentioned. Even There are those who avoid updating completely. It is not the most recommended since Many contain crucial security patchesbut The tendency not to update exists, And it does not only come for fear of change or older people.
The hype has been deflanding
I remember a few years ago We constantly talked about the problem of Android fragmentation. It is a problem that Still therebut it seems that It is no longer the drama of yesteryear. As we said, manufacturers have greatly improved their update support and Offer seven years is already becoming a standard. Another factor that has influenced is the European law that dictates that mobiles and tablets They must be updated for at least five years.
Image: Xataka Android
In the case of iOS, the platform I have used for years, we do not have the problem of fragmentation, but in general there has been a tendency to More continuous updates that did not bring many striking changes. We have matured as users, he Jailbreak It has become fashionable and he root In Android it sounds like a thing of the past. In general, the desire we had to install the newest and customize our mobile phones to the extreme has been deflating.
Suddenly I’m my mother
The Liquid Glass of iOS interface 26. Image: Ricardo Aguilar for Xataka
Apple wants us to get excited again with iOS 26, which with the Liquid Glass interface supposes The biggest design change from iOS 7there is nothing. The first time I saw her It caused me rejection; I think that transparent icons lose the essence of what has always been iOS, not to mention that I have serious doubts that readability is good.
Some time ago I would have installed the beta on my personal mobile, in a kamikaze plan, but I have not done it. With the final update when I fall, I realize that It doesn’t make me very excited Have to “learn” the new interface. In the end my mother will be right.
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