I was contacted by my aunt earlier this week with an inquiry on whether or not she should upgrade her current phone to a Pixel 7 or an iPhone 14. She's used to using an older iPhone and my initial advice to her was to stick to what she was familiar with. However, she had reservations. She voiced out her worries about her current iPhone beginning to malfunction and feared that it might recur in the near future. 'So,' I queried, 'what's the model of your current phone?'

'I use an iPhone 8 Plus,' she retorted. As a proud gay journalist, the cliche is that math is not my strength. But a few mental calculations were enough to deduce that her phone was over five years old. 'Dear aunt, you're working with quite an outdated phone. It's not surprising that it began to malfunction. So, it may be high time for an upgrade,' I said. This was a shock to her. She assumed her phone could last longer, which is a common misconception.

Many cell phone service providers imply that it's necessary to upgrade your phone every two years, even providing trade-in deals to this effect. With such deals, one can acquire a new gadget every two years without paying the entire cost. But this also means that you don't technically own these phones and you're obliged to keep them in good working condition. This is similar to leasing a car. I suggest outright buying a phone as it would be a more cost-effective option in the long run, since upgrading every two years isn't really a necessity.

There's no need to adhere to what the carriers suggest, and you also don't have to follow my example. However, do take a look at your phone's operating system update schedule. If your mobile device isn't receiving the latest security or OS updates, that's a sure sign you need an upgrade. Apple does not provide a definitive timeline for discontinuation of security or OS updates, but typically, OS updates are available for about five years. For instance, the iPhone X, which was released in 2017, wouldn't support iOS 17.

Even then, Apple continues to support aging devices with security updates. Prime examples being the January 2023 security update for the iPhone 5s and the September patch for the eight-year-old iPhone 6s. As long as these patches are received, you're good to continue using your device. However, if like my aunt's phone, your device is over five years old, it might be the right time to think about a replacement. If the situation is akin to the iPhone 5s, which hasn't seen an update in a year, it's time to upgrade to a newer model.

Another valid reason to update your iPhone might be due to a declining battery life. If you search for 'Battery Health' in your settings and navigate to 'Battery Health and Charging,' you'll be provided with information about your device's battery health. If your 'Maximum Capacity' isn't over 80 percent, you're likely to be experiencing drastically lowered battery efficiency. An explicit message on degraded battery health with options for service might also appear if your battery health is too low. For a phone that's a year or two old, this shouldn't be an issue, and it would certainly be cause for concern. But for an older phone, it might be an indication that an upgrade is due.

Android phones don't have a uniform operating system schedule, making the discussion on upgrading a bit complex. For instance, Samsung promises four years of OS updates and five years of security patches for its Galaxy S23 series and newer models. If you have a Samsung phone older than the S23 series, it receives monthly security updates till it reaches four years old and then receives updates twice or four times a year. Despite receiving updates, it might be time to consider upgrading as Android devices face higher risks from security threats once they're not updated regularly.