It looks like Android 7 was released in 2016 and Android 8 was released in 2017. Once your phone starts getting that old I think lots of things on the Internet stop working. I know someone who uses an old iPhone - many websites fail, they can’t upgrade the OS, and they can’t install new versions of browsers either (eg Firefox). Often there is no practical solution other than getting a new phone.
Hypothetically, assuming the hardware could handle it, could you jailbreak a device that is arbitrarily blocking an OS update? Like running a more modern and less systems intensive version of the typical mobile OS? Something like PostmarketOS?
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Yes, changing OS is often the best way to keep an old device working.
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I hear you. I hate it when tools to build IF on retro computers requires 64 bit OS. I need to upgrade my computer just to be able to write code for old computers! 
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well, crosscompiling’s advantages indeed lies also on speed, more sophisticated optimisation routines, and sometimes even better editors, but I don’t find much difference in x-compiling or x-assembling for a 68000 based machine re. native toolset, but some speed, and not only speed, in compiling IS gained with 64 bits.
(the 68000 is a 16/32 bit machine, and highly orthogonal, so handling two 32-bit words at the same time has its substantial merits…)
but I can fully agree with you about 8 bit processor. Little advantages, aside speed can be gained from a 64b X-compiling/assembling toolset…
but, as history of IF notes, there was a 36 bit x-compiling & assembling for a 16 bit virtual machine for 8 (later 16) bit machine… so, things can be more complex than the word size; for sure I tried 8086 inform 5 only ONCE, then I have always used the 386 Inform 5… so, in the context of the Z machine, for sure 32 or 36 bit are really needed…
Best regards from Italy,
dott. Piergiorgio.
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