Android 15 is preparing a new feature that will tell users the remaining lifetime of their device’s internal storage.
  • henfredemars@infosec.pubEnglish
    0·
    2 years ago

    OK, this is really cool. We have practically zero insight into the longevity of these things. Even if you know what chips are being used, lack of information about the wear leveling algorithms means there isn’t much that we can say about the real world performance under different loads.

    • ExtremeDullard@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
      0·
      2 years ago

      We have zero insight into the longevity of flash memory because it doesn’t matter: whatever it is, it’s a lot longer than the phone’s planned obscolescence.

      That’s why you’ve never heard anybody complain about their saved data getting corrupted: their device has long since hit the landfill before that happens.

          • Liz@midwest.socialEnglish
            0·
            2 years ago

            It depends on the storage medium. SD cards will fail if you use them enough. Photographers and videographers will run into to problem every once in a while, especially if they’re a professional. Why SD cards in particular have a tendency to fail, I can’t exactly say. It might just be their form factor making internal physical damage more likely. I say internal, because the issue is that a normal looking SD card will one day turn up corrupted for no obvious reason.

            I haven’t heard of any other type of flash memory having lifespan issues for regular consumers.

          • Daxtron2@startrek.websiteEnglish
            0·
            2 years ago

            Not a whole lot to share. Phone was unstable for a bit and one day refused to boot past a blank screen. As far as I could tell from trying to pull data off it, something got corrupted and it could no longer boot but my data was all encrypted with no way to pull it off.

      • henfredemars@infosec.pubEnglish
        0·
        2 years ago

        I must disagree. I’ve encountered a couple of phones from people in my family that could not be restored because the flash itself was bad. The flash memory specifically failed and required them to purchase a new phone.

        We’re talking 5 to 7-year-old phones here. It does happen. There are plenty of people who will never replace their phone until it breaks.

        For another example, consider that Google added forward error correction to their system images because they encountered issues with failing memory chips in the wild. This was an effort to keep devices booting and operable for longer.