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Google plans to begin verifying the identity of all developers who distribute apps on Android, even if it's outside the Play Store, starting September 2026
(android-developers.googleblog.com)
When I purchased my device in 2023, I purchased the OnePlus Nord N200 5G, which was released in 2021, brand new in the box, because it supported Lineage OS, and I'm still using it today.
It's because I only charge my phone between 30 and 80%. It still has less than 400 charge cycles on the battery. And so I'm basically using a 4-year-old device as a 2-year-old device and it still works fine with lineage OS.
I also paid $300 for it brand new in the box.
Unfortunately $300 is still the double if what I'm willing to pay for a phone, I paid 150 for my spyware phone, and while I hate the lack of privacy and freedom such device provides, it does everything I need it to do with the apps from f-droid. I just don't use it for anything that requires secrecy.
I guess I will just stop updating when the new "feature" rolls out and see what happens.
Yeah, I'm not sure just how low of a device you can get and get Lineage OS on it. I know that I generally don't pay less than about 300 for devices because otherwise they get too slow for my use case.
I definitely don't need a $700 device or above, but 300 to about 400 is my sweet spot.