Happy weekend!
You might have noticed that !android@lemdro.id has reached 15K subscribers, with over 400 active visitors per week!
With the release of Android 14, which is slowly making its way to more devices, it seems like a good time for a community discussion on the direction of Android development.
Discussion Questions:
- What do you think about this latest release?
- Do you think things are going in the right direction?
- Is there anything you’d like to see prioritized in future releases?
- Which device are you on?
P.S. Subscribe to !askandroid@lemdro.id if you haven’t already. It’s the best place to ask questions, seek advice, or to help steer others in the right direction for all things related to Android.
I don’t know what opinion to form. The openness of Android is constantly abused, but Google seems to be overcorrecting by locking it down more than iOS in certain cases and reducing choices for users to use/customize their device as they like. I can’t backup my damn Minecraft worlds without paying Microsoft $4/month for a server to act as an intermediary, or I have to download an unvetted third-party Minecraft addon. On iOS, the “walled garden”, you can use the Files app or connect to your computer and backup.
Would decoupling Android from Google help Android’s long-term future? Let some non-profit organization with different goals take over? With that said, it’ll be a big challenge for them to figure out licensing, funding, development, etc.
I’m on a Pixel 6a running Android 14. Material You has grown on me. I still dislike gesture navigation. Would love to see more lockscreen customization.
I get where Google is coming from by seizing control from vendors under threat of losing access to Play Services. I generally feel positive about those specific changes because I’m not a fan of vendor-specific implementations to solve common problems. Nearby Share, for example, is a great idea that only works if everyone’s using a compatible solution.
However, openness and customization is part of what makes Android great. The ROM community is under the SafetyNet gun where Google could pull the trigger at any moment and effectively lock out unapproved operating systems from running many applications. Google overstepping further hardly makes the news.
I’m concerned, because if you look at this problem from a vendor point of view, who else can you go to? You need a thriving ecosystem to make your phone attractive. There’s a high ceiling on the maximum pain Google could inflict before the bottom falls out.
Android is precariously positioned.
Android these days is mixed. The app ecosystem is mature and I still have more freedom than Apple in terms of home screen, app store, browser, a real filesystem, etc. The phones are all quite capable and powerful. I can sync texts reliably across devices, use my phone’s location to trigger smart home automations, and my watch syncs effortlessly with my phone. All of these were issues for years that are now pretty much solved! Haven’t felt a need to upgrade my Note 20 Ultra yet, but might go to a foldable in the next year if the right deal pops up.
I’m disappointed about how Google has locked down some features in the name of security, like the ability for apps to access text messages. The Play Store is so enshittified. It’s been a long time since I was able to discover new apps there: these days I don’t feel secure installing apps from there and prefer to stick to F-Droid when I can.
I also am disappointed by how the Android market has consolidated so much. There was such a diversity of OEMs in the 2010s and I miss the HTC, LG, Nextbit, Essential and others which weren’t afraid to rock the boat and try new form factors. Foldables are one of the only exciting product categories. Everything else feels pretty predictable, iterative and on rails.
No, Android itsself lacks the amibition to add anything meaningful. Desktop Mode, Customizable Quick Settings Toggle Area, actually useful battery stats, a more customizable battery saving mode would all be things I’d like to see but clearly aren’t a priority.
Also I really don’t like Material U. Classic Material looked way better!
Been using android since the first galaxy. Never have I experienced such a fuck up as when I let my pixel 7 pro update to 14. And this is from someone that used to run random custom stuff going back a few years.
Android 14 caused my phone memory to become corrupt and I had no choice but to factory reset, losing everything not synced. Apparently this was due to running two separate user profiles.
Somehow Google was too busy finding ways to get and sell more of our data and forgot to test if this basic feature fucking works.
Not looking forward to Monday when I’ll have to jump through flaming hoops to set up my work micrishaft authenticator / profile / intune crap again.
Other beef with 14, custom launchers are broken. I have never been able to stand the stock launcher, it is like babies first launcher. No customisation options and the stupid search bar can’t be removed. A few apps I use on a regular basis claim to to not be compatible, even though they ran fine for several days in 14 till the whole thing shit itself.
On the UI front I feel as if everything seems to get more bland each release with less interesting customisation than we had circa android 5.
Dude are you me? I literally just went through this. I used two profiles and had the memory issue. Couldn’t even take photos, the camera app said device was out of storage despite deleting most of my apps. And apps crashing all over the place.
The best part is… I’m traveling so it cost me half a day of vacation photos when I factory reset. And same as you… Will have to fix work 2FA on Monday.
What he hell were they thinking??
Huh, I’ve had no issues with Nova launcher on my 7 pro. I honestly didn’t notice any changes after the update, aside from the lock screen clock settings
More jogging in place than going in any direction.
