[UrbanAnimism777]

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking of getting either the Hiby R5 gen2, or the R6 2020 version. The conflict I have is: I'd like a device I could freely use for at least 5 years, without becoming unusable for lack of updates and app support for their respective Android systems.

Is this something I should or shouldn't be concerned? I don't care about using a DAP for social media, emails, etc. I just need to have the assurance of being able to stream from Tidal and Qobuz for at least 4 or 5 years before investing in a new one.

 

[msing539]

I believe Tidal currently supports Android back to Marshmallow, which was released in 2015. Not sure about Qobuz. Unless Google changes something drastically about the way the OS is built, it should continue to work. But 5 years is a long time--even something as simple as a security patch could cause Tidal or Qobuz to stop working down the line. If that were to happen, it might be possible to keep an older version of the respective app installed and it might continue to work for a while.

Just guessing at this point--impossible to predict the future.

 

[rlw6534]

Just guessing at this point--impossible to predict the future.

I totally agree with you on that.

I would, however be genuinely concerned about Android 8 lasting another 5 years based on past history. It's already almost 5 years old.

 

[Iron-Buddha]

This is the same reason I am now reluctant to drop large dollars on DAPs. Most of them are already behind when they launch, and then a lot of key features could be broken in a few years. It's too bad really, as I am sure a large enough DAP maker could throw the development time to provide some assurance of long-term support.

 

[Nolbert0]

This has always been my concern so I've stuck with proprietary OSes like Hiby and Shanling. Having said that, my DAPs are usually no more than a glorified transport for my Mojo or dongle.

 

[Pretardo]

I find myself in the same situation. I love the all in one convenience of DAP, but having the drain of Android on a battery and then having the added complexity of keeping up with the fast pace update cycle of apps means that these devices are not meant to last. Dongles and DAC/Amps are making more and more sense, but I hate having a stack. I wish we could move away from Android and move into something that would be longer lived and not need to survive the attrition of weekly updates.

 

[RingingEars]

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking of getting either the Hiby R5 gen2, or the R6 2020 version. The conflict I have is: I'd like a device I could freely use for at least 5 years, without becoming unusable for lack of updates and app support for their respective Android systems.

Is this something I should or shouldn't be concerned? I don't care about using a DAP for social media, emails, etc. I just need to have the assurance of being able to stream from Tidal and Qobuz for at least 4 or 5 years before investing in a new one.

Well you know how the current tech is... It's a fool game and you have to pay if you want to play.

 

[waveSounds]

This is, in part, what lead me to the iBasso DX170. Coming with Android 11 was a big selling point.

 

[Rackhour]

Hi everyone,

I've been thinking of getting either the Hiby R5 gen2, or the R6 2020 version. The conflict I have is: I'd like a device I could freely use for at least 5 years, without becoming unusable for lack of updates and app support for their respective Android systems.

Is this something I should or shouldn't be concerned? I don't care about using a DAP for social media, emails, etc. I just need to have the assurance of being able to stream from Tidal and Qobuz for at least 4 or 5 years before investing in a new one.

My opinion is that if app updates are important, you should opt for one of the more recent Samsung phones, as Samsung announced they'd provide anywhere between 2 to 4 years of Android updates depending on which model you get (the pricier, the longer the update period). I admittedly don't have an Android DAP, but if my experience with my iPod is anything to go by, their primary purpose is to play stored music more often than not.

 

[psikey]

Got a Hiby R5II with its Android 8 with discount so very cheap (£320). If it gets 5 years streaming support then great but at price not overly concerned.

I got my Sony WM1AM2 with its Android 11 but wouldn't have dropped £1k+ on it if Android 8. I expect this one to be handling most streaming in 5+ years time.

 

[Electrocrytic]

This has always been my concern so I've stuck with proprietary OSes like Hiby and Shanling. Having said that, my DAPs are usually no more than a glorified transport for my Mojo or dongle.

OK, but having a proprietary OS DAP which can only play back local/sdcard files, isn't that the same as having an Android DAP but without having to wait 5-7 years for online streaming apps stop working leaving you with a DAP which can only play back local/sdcard files ?

 

[chef8489]

You guys are paranoid for no reason. Players like the pioneer xdb-100r, xdb-300r, onkio dp-x1, dp-x1a fiio x5 gen 3 all can still work and stream fine. They get app updates from tidal, Spotify and so on. It's just the os that doesn't get updated.

 

[rlw6534]

You guys are paranoid for no reason. Players like the pioneer xdb-100r, xdb-300r, onkio dp-x1, dp-x1a fiio x5 gen 3 all can still work and stream fine. They get app updates from tidal, Spotify and so on. It's just the os that doesn't get updated.

Both Tidal and Qobuz have dropped support for Android 5 as of 2022. I believe that affects all of the devices you listed above.

 

[chef8489]

Both Tidal and Qobuz have dropped support for Android 5 as of 2022. I believe that affects all of the devices you listed above.

2.31 still works with the fiio x5 iii perfectly fine. Then there are ways to update it to a more recent version.

 

[rlw6534]

2.31 still works with the fiio x5 iii perfectly fine. Then there are ways to update it to a more recent version.

Yes, the old versions are still working (as of recently) but that doesn't change the fact that Android 5 is no longer supported by these apps. Tidal 2.31 (two years old) and Qobuz 6.5.0.2 (8 months old) are the last versions to work. Tidal 2.66 and Qobuz 6.9.0.1 are the current up-to-date versions. Both require Android 6 or later.

What are the ways to upgrade Tidal to a more recent version? I would like to do that on my Fiio X7ii and A&K SR15.