Smartphone android update

[Marism]

I heard that upgrading Android software (versions) over time would slow the phone down. If this is true, when should I stop upgrading? Does any one have any insight on this?

Related to this, why do users upgrade android? For more features? For security?
When getting updated am I getting security updates or more features? How would I find out?

Finally, if I have an older phone (galaxy s5), how do I maintain its speed and performance from slowing down? Is it a software thing?

Thanks,
-Maris

 

[Hadron]

The one irreducible reason why updating might slow a phone down is if the software becomes more complex and demanding. That's not limited to Android, it's a general principle (everything from iPhones to PCs could be affected the same way).

It's more-or-less impossible to make generalisations about whether/when you should stop upgrading, because it depends on how much effort the manufacturer puts into optimising the release. If you buy a phone from a carrier who modify the software then there's the extra factor that they may add unwanted bloat to it. If you are concerned about that then the best advice I can offer is to not update the moment an update becomes available but instead wait and see what others say about the update (bearing in mind that people will have different opinions!). It's worth noting that doing a "clean" update, i.e. doing a factory reset after that then reinstalling your apps, may help if you do have performance problems (make sure that important data are backed-up first, of course!). Contrary to what is often assumed, all that a "factory reset" does is wipe all data and apps off the phone, it does not undo any system updates.

As for why update, security or features, the answer is both: newer releases may bring new features, and usually are more secure. But sometimes people prefer the older release (sometimes just on aesthetic grounds, or because they prefer the way it worked), and sometimes the new software release may not be well-optimised on that particular device.