Linux phones are moving fast but it feels like Android is moving faster on the other direction 😥
(Yes I know Android is built over Linux, I mean more traditional and open distros like postmarketos)
Comment on Google will block sideloading of unverified Android apps starting next year
TommySoda@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Google getting rid of all the things that made people want an android phone over an iPhone.
Bogasse@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
favoredponcho@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
Are they moving fast? It’s been like 18 years since the iPhone came out and there really isn’t a viable Linux phone.
Tja@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
There was a viable Linux phone 15 years ago: Nokia N900. Microsoft took care of that when they bought Nokia. At least Windows phone was a resounding success…
Whitelisted@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Wasn’t the viable Linux phone Android at first? (I am younger than the iPhone so maybe I don’t really know how it was)
favoredponcho@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
By Linux I mean “FOSS” phone. Android is based on Linux, but it is also loaded with spyware out of the box. If you’d asked me 18 years ago whether there would be a viable FOSS phone by now, I would’ve thought yes. But, postmarketOS still advertises itself as “not ready yet” and Ubuntu Touch is still pretty niche.
Ulrich@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
Whatever things made people get into Android some 20 years ago are no longer relevant to the majority of people.
The biggest benefit will remain the apps. People love apps. In that regard, their only competition is Apple. It’s why no one can make a new phone OS.
The other reason is cost. If you want a cheap device, Apple has no such thing. There are hundreds of Android devices you can buy for a couple hundred dollars.
For those who buy Samsung flagships for more than an iPhone, well those people I can’t explain.
LiveLM@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
For those who buy Samsung flagships for more than an iPhone, well those people I can’t explain.
Well, it could be explained before: Flagship hardware without the restrictions of iOS.
Now…After this BS… Yeah, can’t explain.muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
I can see apps become less important over time. PWAs were basically what Apple originally planed for the smartphone anyway and now they are capable of damn near anything you would want an app to do. No store to rely on. No updates to install. No storage space being eaten into. The browser engine functions as a layer of abstraction between the scary untrusted app and your own OS. It’s kinda perfect.
Ulrich@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
You might think so but PWAs have been around for a long time and seen very little adoption.
muusemuuse@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
They haven’t been promoted or supported well until fairly recently. Also, Firefox is not compatible with PWAs but chrome, edge, and safari are.
Fedditor385@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Unfortunately, that is 0.1% of their global market that is affected. So, they don’t really have much to lose.
Guidy@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Yup my first thought was “Where is your God now?”
Google ditched “Don’t be evil” a long time ago.
themachinestops@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Yep, if this happens there is no benefit to android.
NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
I mean, there is still UI/UX, app store policies, and general cost/options.
This definitely makes Android a lot less appealing. But it is also questionable to act like the biggest reason to use android was sideloading apps since the vast majority of users don’t even know that is an option (and probably shouldn’t since they have no understanding of how to vet them).
just_an_average_joe@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Comrade, the ignorance of the masses should not dilute our anger
NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
So… “the ignorance of the masses” should be combatted by willful ignorance and nonsense that falls apart the moment anyone looks at it?
Get angry. I sure am. Look for alternatives. Graphene sure ain’t it but I hope it will be in the next four or five years. But this is something google are willing to futz with for a reason: The vast majority of users don’t care about it and even with the changes it isn’t significantly worse than the competition.
Yet everywhere I see “Well, I guess I have to buy Apple now” which is just… buy it if you want to but don’t pretend this shit is why.
emax_gomax@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Ui/ux is honestly worse on android compared to something like ios. The playstore is honestly stuffed with ads and seems to be actively regressing in ux (the update apps menu is hidden behind like 3 layers of dialogues). Cost wise a used iPhone is probably a better deal than a cheap new android phone.
I used android primarily because I could install apps Apple basically doesn’t care about (and after the 5th time gba4ios broke).
sem@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
Maybe it’s because I’m used to android, but iOS feels user hostile in ways that android never has been, especially when it comes to storage management and pushing iCloud subscriptions.
Chozo@fedia.io 2 weeks ago
It's still a step up from iOS, which has had similar restrictions since they started.
Arcane2077@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Apple allows sideloading (somewhat), this is would be demonstrably worse (if enacted)
suigenerix@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Yes. Only in the EU and only since 2024 when Apple was forced to do it by new laws. It’s reasonable to assume Google would be subject to the same laws.
If you live outside if the EU, it’s “no sideload for you!” There are computer programs that can do sideloading to iPhones, but they have limitations, like having to refresh the sideloaded apps every seven days.
Rai@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
“This ad company restricting anything you can load is better than iOS” is decently a thing you can say hahahaha