i'm in the same boat as you, I refuse to get a new phone and so we're stuck in the past
It is a sign of apps requiring needed maintenance. as a user of both oses, google play Store is full of shit and malware. I don't want abandoned apps and buggy shit on my phone.
True, there are a lot of crappy Android apps, but you have plenty of pearles as well. Don't confuse apps with ads with malware. In most cases you either pay for an app or you accept ads.
No, malware. This just happen yesterday, 36 million android devices infected. For better or worst, apple's App Store is locked down and is safer. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/google-boots-41-apps-infected-with-judy-malware-off-the-play-store/http://www.wcvb.com/article/up-to-36-million-android-smartphones-may-be-infected-with-this-malware/9941114
That's bad publicity for Google, since they have autoscan technology in their Gmail service.Neither of them is perfect, but at least I can run almost any app on my old Android version with root access.
Personally, both OS to me are quality.It's just a matter of what nuances you want to deal with.Galaxy, Pixel, iPhone are all great.
If rooting your phone and increasing the chance of malware and privacy issues, have at it. It's your phone.