Google: 'Your $1000 phone needs our permission to install apps now'". Android users are screwed - Louis Rossmann
-
The openness of Android is the thing that kept me on the platform. Now that the openness is being removed, iOS is now more appealing.
Sadly, I think most of the customers that use Android never sideload a single app at all. I don't expect this to create a mass exodus, but a smaller one with power users.
-
I didn't get it. EU pushes Apple for sideloading option. Android will come with embedded Linux terminal support and you can even run native Linux apps on your Android phone with Android 15.
I guess some C-Level assholes forcing this change in Google but this does not make any sense...
-
Please show me a single benchmark with a flagship android beating a flagship iPhone.
-
I guess I was brought up believing that if you do nothing wrong, theres no point hiding your identity.
I'm fine knowing the person who wrote the code of the app that I am about to install has had courage to identify themselves.
That's interesting, where did you grow up? I grew up believing everybody had the right to privacy. And to not provide your identity to strangers on the internet
It's like gay marriage. If you don't want to do it, you don't have to. But don't support restricting the freedom of others because it won't effect you
-
What do you mean ? There is ubuntu touch working in some phone.
I saw that there is some improvements, for the fair phone 5 it seems that it is working but no dual Sim possible and LTE phone calls.
You can check it out for your model on this site :
https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/Enzy's point is that Linux isn't an OS but just the kernel, so the core part of the OS. That point is technically correct but practically utter bullshit. It's generally only pushed by pedants who have nothing better to do, because all the grown-ups in the room easily understand what's meant when someone refers to an OS called Linux (namely, Linux distributions, which contain a whole OS running on a provided Linux kernel).
-
I think that other guy's comment about the ICE tracker app really highlights the most important problem: If only signed apps can run, governments can pressure companies to remove access to certain apps. Even if Google allowed posting the app, the author would have to de-anonymize himself, and Google would have to comply with the law if they were subpoenaed. They would definitely give up the author's name. It is an issue of freedom, freedom of speech, freedom to do with your device what you choose to do with it. You might not have a use for it (right now) but it's not necessarily something you'd want to give up.
And, honestly, I would personally be affected by this, eventually. I use an app called NewPipe to watch youtube. It already isn't available on the app store (violates google's ToS), and I doubt they'd let people install this even if the author properly identified themselves, because I use it to avoid watching adds and to be able to "subscribe" to channels without an account. I could just borrow my husband's premium subscription, I guess, but I really only use NewPipe to watch certain things, and it lacks the algorithmically driven feed (which I am actively avoiding, Google tends to suggest things that make you angry for clicks).
I don't know about America or to be honest at all what ICE tracker does, but if I was to assume that it somehow tracks government agents where they go, there might be laws against that.
-
That's interesting, where did you grow up? I grew up believing everybody had the right to privacy. And to not provide your identity to strangers on the internet
It's like gay marriage. If you don't want to do it, you don't have to. But don't support restricting the freedom of others because it won't effect you
I grew up in Czechoslovakia and Australia, more Australia really. There might be a genuine reason why google is doing it or not. Most things require an identity these days. You cant drive without an identity , you can't purchase alcohol without an one, of open a bank account. Where does your privacy feeling stand there I suppose you don't have any of that? I'm actually amazed with so much fraud on the internet governments don't require an ID to open a browser on your PC. Isn't internet like a network of highways really ?
-
It won't do phone calls or SMS but otherwise sure why not. Just call/msg with matrix or discord
Also JMP.chat
-
I didn't get it. EU pushes Apple for sideloading option. Android will come with embedded Linux terminal support and you can even run native Linux apps on your Android phone with Android 15.
I guess some C-Level assholes forcing this change in Google but this does not make any sense...
Line must go up.
-
Tbf, you can a very cheap android phone for around $100 USD, the cheapest iPhone starts at around
$400(edit: Actually I got curious and looked it up, apparantly the iPhone SE is gone and the cheapest new iPhone right now seems to be the 16e which start at $600). Also, Apple developer account cost $99 per year, Google developer account cost $25 one time fee, so the cost is gonna trickle down to the user, sometimes you find free apps on google play and then you look at apple and it cost a few dollars, its most likely due to the recurring costs to maintain a developer account.Also, Apple doesn't allow torrent clients, You can't use firefox with ublock origin on iOS.
(But then again, these advantages could also go away in a few years...
)Friend you can buy a much cheaper android phone, which is why I don't really care much about this, though it is still obviously bad. I hate my phone, I hate cellphones in general, they're shitty feature locked mini laptops with a subscription so I can, what, make and receive 12 phonecalls a month? Download half a gb when I'm out of wifi range? Use google maps, the literally only truly useful thing my cellphone does for me?
Anyway, because of my disdain I buy the absolute cheapest cellphone on the market that has no attached plan, once every three or four years. I got a new one last month.
It cost thirty bucks. My monthly unlimited talk and text and data plan comes to about 22$ a month.
It's a piece of shit, obviously. But if all you're doing is begrudgingly using it to make a couple calls, send some texts, scroll Lemmy while you're pooping and occasionally use a map the price is appropriate.
-
Linux isn't an OS.
Linux isn't an OS.
Pedantically true, but practically irrelevant statement.
-
And you're like that farmer with his ass, glaring at all the newfangled technology, convinced it must be useless because you can't understand it.
You're missing the point again. It's not one or the other. We used to have BOTH. I use BT headphones day to day because I like the convenience, like you. However there plenty of times I wished I had an aux out or forgot my BT buds and wanted to use a pair of headphones I had at the desk.
We deserve BOTH.
-
Well, the reason not to have both options if you're a phone manufacturer is that pesky port. Every port is a headache for them. There structural weak points, they're places that can get dust and dirt in them, etc. As a user, I want as many options as possible, but if I can get a phone that's $100 cheaper because it doesn't have a headphone port, I'll definitely choose that option.
And yet headphone ports are on all the cheap phones and lacking from the high end phones. Your argument just doesn't hold water.
-
Go buy some more airpods loser
Go put batteries in your walkman, grandpa.
-
And yet headphone ports are on all the cheap phones and lacking from the high end phones. Your argument just doesn't hold water.
The cheap phones are cheap because they lack other features, not because a headphone jack makes them cheaper.
-
I don't know about America or to be honest at all what ICE tracker does, but if I was to assume that it somehow tracks government agents where they go, there might be laws against that.
I don't want to drag this conversation into American politics, but I will say ICE has been doing things against USA law. Things are not great here. Even noncitizens have rights that need to be respected, and ICE is failing to do that. They have also arrested lawful residents, citizens too, in their sweeps.
The ICE tracker app is a protest app/ direct action sort of thing, not a tool for criminality. Surely you can see the value of being able to use technology to resist a tyrannical government?
By the way, do you want the USA government to potentially control which software can be installed on your phone? Google is an American company. USA courts could decide (international company) is violating (American IP law or something else) and instruct Google to disallow their app from being installed entirely.
They can pull apps off the app store now, and they do that, but currently you can still side load stuff.
-
Go put batteries in your walkman, grandpa.
Replaceable batteries are superior, cope
-
Replaceable batteries are superior, cope
Yes, they are. Glad you're finally on board the "batteries beat wires" train. Choo choo.
-
Yes, they are. Glad you're finally on board the "batteries beat wires" train. Choo choo.
replaceable batteries, dumbass
-
The cheap phones are cheap because they lack other features, not because a headphone jack makes them cheaper.
I can't even follow your arguments anymore.
As a user, I want as many options as possible, but if I can get a phone that's $100 cheaper because it doesn't have a headphone port, I'll definitely choose that option.
You're the one that implied headphone jacks add cost to phones. I'm saying that they don't, and whatever cost they do add is minuscule. The implication that any cost savings is being passed to you is laughable.
Look, they killed the jack because they could save a couple bucks of design time and get a few cubic millimeters of space, but most importantly they could softly force their users to buy wireless headphones (maybe even the ones they sell and bundle?!). The former outcomes being happy accidents in order push the latter. It's win win for them, and lose for the customer.
They know that their price concious customers are still using wired headphone and unlikely to take them up on their bundle, so they keep including it there. The affluent ones are the ones with cash to burn and little care for this issue. I get you like BT headphones, so do I, but there's simply no good defense for the 3.5mm removal other than shilling.
