Three app no longer works on my Huawei tablet. What to do?

MattMattMattUK

br1anst0rm said:

But to use another comparison, when the DVD was invented and DVD players and drives were produced, they could still also play CDs,  And when USB3 came along, it was still possible to plug in and use USB and USB2 devices.

However streaming devices lack optical drives, USB C devices to not plug into older USB ports, you cannot feed a horse with a petrol pump. Things may outwardly function in the same way, but behind the scenes they can operate in different way.

WelshPaul

br1anst0rm said:

Thanks to all who have replied.  I do understand that technology evolves and I do "get" the point about security. 

But to use another comparison, when the DVD was invented and DVD players and drives were produced, they could still also play CDs,  And when USB3 came along, it was still possible to plug in and use USB and USB2 devices.

However I accept that I can't hold back the tides of progress.  I guess I shall simply have to rely on the suggestions of @PHK and @flaneurs_lobster and access the My3 account pages on the Three website.

One of the reasons I won't waste money on expensive tablets anymore. I learnt my lesson with iPads! 5-6 years in and you can't install this, that or the other.

br1anst0rm

MattMattMattUK said:

However streaming devices lack optical drives, USB C devices to not plug into older USB ports, you cannot feed a horse with a petrol pump. Things may outwardly function in the same way, but behind the scenes they can operate in different way.

I had to smile at that alternative analogy (horse and petrol pump).  But I'm not sure it's valid.  The move from horse-drawn carriage to motor-driven car was a paradigm shift.  Unreasonable to expect continuity of function.  But the same petrol pump can be used to fuel a Model T Ford and a 2023 Ferrari Testarossa:  they are both evolutions of the motor car.

In the world of phones and tablets, the equivalent paradigm shift was from wired landline phones to portable wireless mobiles and tablets.  So while I wouldn't expect mobiles to operate like old rotary-dial phones, what I would hope for is that successive generations of mobile devices could be sustainably run using the same - albeit progressively developed - software.  The point (well made by @WelshPaul) is that it is fundamentally wasteful to have to discard perfectly good hardware just because the software has been 'improved'.

mrochester

br1anst0rm said:

MattMattMattUK said:

However streaming devices lack optical drives, USB C devices to not plug into older USB ports, you cannot feed a horse with a petrol pump. Things may outwardly function in the same way, but behind the scenes they can operate in different way.

I had to smile at that alternative analogy (horse and petrol pump).  But I'm not sure it's valid.  The move from horse-drawn carriage to motor-driven car was a paradigm shift.  Unreasonable to expect continuity of function.  But the same petrol pump can be used to fuel a Model T Ford and a 2023 Ferrari Testarossa:  they are both evolutions of the motor car.

In the world of phones and tablets, the equivalent paradigm shift was from wired landline phones to portable wireless mobiles and tablets.  So while I wouldn't expect mobiles to operate like old rotary-dial phones, what I would hope for is that successive generations of mobile devices could be sustainably run using the same - albeit progressively developed - software.  The point (well made by @WelshPaul) is that it is fundamentally wasteful to have to discard perfectly good hardware just because the software has been 'improved'.

It’s the progressively developed software that’s the problem here. 

PHK

br1anst0rm said:

MattMattMattUK said:

However streaming devices lack optical drives, USB C devices to not plug into older USB ports, you cannot feed a horse with a petrol pump. Things may outwardly function in the same way, but behind the scenes they can operate in different way.

I had to smile at that alternative analogy (horse and petrol pump).  But I'm not sure it's valid.  The move from horse-drawn carriage to motor-driven car was a paradigm shift.  Unreasonable to expect continuity of function.  But the same petrol pump can be used to fuel a Model T Ford and a 2023 Ferrari Testarossa:  they are both evolutions of the motor car.

In the world of phones and tablets, the equivalent paradigm shift was from wired landline phones to portable wireless mobiles and tablets.  So while I wouldn't expect mobiles to operate like old rotary-dial phones, what I would hope for is that successive generations of mobile devices could be sustainably run using the same - albeit progressively developed - software.  The point (well made by @WelshPaul) is that it is fundamentally wasteful to have to discard perfectly good hardware just because the software has been 'improved'.

None of your examples are anything like the situation of trying to use a current app (linked to a service that costs you money) with an operating system 5 generations old. 

The app will work with recent versions of the OS. The problem is that the OS was already not the latest when you bought the tablet and was unlikely ever to be updated. Due to the comparatively modest price and the policies of the manufacturer. 

But no, a model T wouldn’t use the same petrol or pump as a 2023 car. 

mrochester

PHK said:

br1anst0rm said:

MattMattMattUK said:

However streaming devices lack optical drives, USB C devices to not plug into older USB ports, you cannot feed a horse with a petrol pump. Things may outwardly function in the same way, but behind the scenes they can operate in different way.

I had to smile at that alternative analogy (horse and petrol pump).  But I'm not sure it's valid.  The move from horse-drawn carriage to motor-driven car was a paradigm shift.  Unreasonable to expect continuity of function.  But the same petrol pump can be used to fuel a Model T Ford and a 2023 Ferrari Testarossa:  they are both evolutions of the motor car.

In the world of phones and tablets, the equivalent paradigm shift was from wired landline phones to portable wireless mobiles and tablets.  So while I wouldn't expect mobiles to operate like old rotary-dial phones, what I would hope for is that successive generations of mobile devices could be sustainably run using the same - albeit progressively developed - software.  The point (well made by @WelshPaul) is that it is fundamentally wasteful to have to discard perfectly good hardware just because the software has been 'improved'.

None of your examples are anything like the situation of trying to use a current app (linked to a service that costs you money) with an operating system 5 generations old. 

The app will work with recent versions of the OS. The problem is that the OS was already not the latest when you bought the tablet and was unlikely ever to be updated. Due to the comparatively modest price and the policies of the manufacturer. 

But no, a model T wouldn’t use the same petrol or pump as a 2023 car. 

Yes, if the device manufacturer had done a better job of updating the operating system on the tablet, the OP may not have had this problem. Sadly, far too many android devices are released and abandoned by the manufacturer instead of receiving continuous software updates and improvements. 

br1anst0rm

This has turned into a conversation about the evolution of technology. 

The trouble is that the refrain always seems to be "it's someone else's problem - or fault".  The device-maker (Huawei) for not making the tablet update-able.  The operating-system provider (Google) for not continuing to provide security updates for Android 7.  The app provider (Three) for binning its old app and releasing a new one which isn't backwards-compatible.  Or my fault for buying a device and system which has become obsolete!

Progress is wonderful and inevitable.  But it shouldn't be beyond the wit of man to develop and evolve the technology which we use and rely on in a more sustainable, less wasteful way.  I can still drive my 40 year old car.  My 20 year old washing machine still gets my clothes clean.  Why is my tablet virtually redundant after just 4 or 5 years?

elsien

br1anst0rm said:

This has turned into a conversation about the evolution of technology. 

The trouble is that the refrain always seems to be "it's someone else's problem - or fault".  The device-maker (Huawei) for not making the tablet update-able.  The operating-system provider (Google) for not continuing to provide security updates for Android 7.  The app provider (Three) for binning its old app and releasing a new one which isn't backwards-compatible.  Or my fault for buying a device and system which has become obsolete!

Progress is wonderful and inevitable.  But it shouldn't be beyond the wit of man to develop and evolve the technology which we use and rely on in a more sustainable, less wasteful way.  I can still drive my 40 year old car.  My 20 year old washing machine still gets my clothes clean.  Why is my tablet virtually redundant after just 4 or 5 years?

Commercial decisions with regards to built in obsolescence. More bits inside to go wrong than your average washing machine. And consumers who want new toys every year or two rather than making things last. It’s a lot cheaper to replace a phone every couple of years than it is a car. 

mrochester

br1anst0rm said:

This has turned into a conversation about the evolution of technology. 

The trouble is that the refrain always seems to be "it's someone else's problem - or fault".  The device-maker (Huawei) for not making the tablet update-able.  The operating-system provider (Google) for not continuing to provide security updates for Android 7.  The app provider (Three) for binning its old app and releasing a new one which isn't backwards-compatible.  Or my fault for buying a device and system which has become obsolete!

Progress is wonderful and inevitable.  But it shouldn't be beyond the wit of man to develop and evolve the technology which we use and rely on in a more sustainable, less wasteful way.  I can still drive my 40 year old car.  My 20 year old washing machine still gets my clothes clean.  Why is my tablet virtually redundant after just 4 or 5 years?

Software development by its very nature requires code to be deprecated and replaced with new code/features. It would be nigh on impossible and prohibitively expensive to maintain backwards compatibility indefinitely.

mrochester

elsien said:

br1anst0rm said:

This has turned into a conversation about the evolution of technology. 

The trouble is that the refrain always seems to be "it's someone else's problem - or fault".  The device-maker (Huawei) for not making the tablet update-able.  The operating-system provider (Google) for not continuing to provide security updates for Android 7.  The app provider (Three) for binning its old app and releasing a new one which isn't backwards-compatible.  Or my fault for buying a device and system which has become obsolete!

Progress is wonderful and inevitable.  But it shouldn't be beyond the wit of man to develop and evolve the technology which we use and rely on in a more sustainable, less wasteful way.  I can still drive my 40 year old car.  My 20 year old washing machine still gets my clothes clean.  Why is my tablet virtually redundant after just 4 or 5 years?

Commercial decisions with regards to built in obsolescence. More bits inside to go wrong than your average washing machine. And consumers who want new toys every year or two rather than making things last. It’s a lot cheaper to replace a phone every couple of years than it is a car. 

This too. You can’t expect to buy a cheap tablet and expect the manufacturer to keep giving you software updates for years and years. The best you can get in that respect is to buy Apple. You’ll pay more upfront but get something that probably lasts longer.