Is it just me, or is Android a mess

[krooton]

nokia is also fast updates,
however, I would still rather a crappy android than apple rubbish.
wish work would move away from Apple, it's painful doing even simple tasks due to how pointlessly its locked down. Just look at attachments for email for a start.

I have to upload videos to Dropbox, which my gf then has to download using her vlc app to save to her iPhone. Whereas I plug in a USB cable or copy straight from my Nas over wifi on to my phone. Ridiculous.

 

[Em3bbs]

I think the problem is that iOS owners don't understand Android, and that these things don't matter so much with things like security patches and Google Play Services and other SDKs being abstracted from the big shiny version number.

You often find newer versions of stock Android end up with feature improvements that were on Samsung, HTC or LG a year or two before and Google thought "yes that's a good idea, we'll implement that".

Then it ends up in iOS a year after that.

 

[chaparral]

Then it ends up in iOS a year after that.

Same as there Hardware

It took apple a year or two for them to add water resistant, wireless charging , OLED screen, Small bezels

 

[Shocky-FM]

You don't need to be on the latest version, I just don't get the obsession many have with updates, other than an number increase you won't be able to tell the difference most of the time unless you're more than two major updates behind, especially on non-stock devices.

Any real issues or is that it?

 

[chroniclard]

Any real issues or is that it?

Also still waiting for the issues.

 

[Cleisthenes]

I see my Pixel 2 as an Android iPhone, I love the flexibility of Android but I also got bored of fiddling with roms etc so just wanted something that works well without tinkering. I think Pixel 2 does this brilliantly. Plus I've not had any hardware issues with mine.

 

[biron_w]

No, Android isn't a mess. What you described is nothing to do with Android or Google. It's manufacturers not bothering to update their phones.
This is also an annoyance of mine. Which is why I only like getting phones from a few OEMs. And why I'm glad that custom ROMs still exist.

 

[Buffman]

I've never understood the impatience and sometimes anger shown by Android users waiting for updates. Oh great, another load of useless features 95% of people will never use. Cool.

Same. My note 4 (circa 2014 phonelwhich I recently replaced was on android 6 and the only difference I can tell to huawei p20 Pro is due to the EMUI skin.

Only feature I'm thankful for/use is the wifi calling, which I think requires specific phones and android level.

 

[Shocky-FM]

Would be great if Google updated Android devices but it would mean less customization and features from the manufacturers which would be a step backwards.

Samsung's interface for example is far more than just a skin/launcher, it's a framework that all of their software depends on, without it you could kiss goodbye too all the additional features, they would effectively have to start over.

 

[Lopéz]

Email attachments and lack of a proper browsable file system are enough to make me steer clear of Apple devices. I have a work iPhone SE and some days it drives me mental trying to do simple things.

 

[413x]

Don't get the latest version obsession.
If it wasn't released you wouldn't be bothered.
I also find that new versions are usually minor in improvement and often cause an issue.

I actively don't install updates unless I know I'm going to get a benefit!

Apple and android both exist because they are so different. Some want the flexible android others like the easy life of apple

 

[Psycho Sonny]

But this is the point, why should people settle with an old version of an OS? It literally only exists in the world of Android. Windows 10 runs on PCs from 10 years ago...

You don't have a clue tbh.

Explain to me what the latest OS does that the previous version doesn't?

For example what can the latest iphone do that the latest phone from any manufacturer can't?

Updates haven't done anything of a muchness going on for like 5 years now. I know I'm not doing anything on my phone I wasn't doing 5 years ago.

latest OS isn't a selling point for me. value for money is. and iphone is the worst value for money phone out there.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Same as there Hardware

It took apple a year or two for them to add water resistant, wireless charging , OLED screen, Small bezels

+1

i can't believe an apple fanboy is complaining about android updates when it's light years ahead of apple.

 

[Silly Goose On The Loose]

You don't have a clue tbh.

Explain to me what the latest OS does that the previous version doesn't?

For example what can the latest iphone do that the latest phone from any manufacturer can't?

Updates haven't done anything of a muchness going on for like 5 years now. I know I'm not doing anything on my phone I wasn't doing 5 years ago.

latest OS isn't a selling point for me. value for money is. and iphone is the worst value for money phone out there.

Again, security.

 

[Silly Goose On The Loose]

+1

i can't believe an apple fanboy is complaining about android updates when it's light years ahead of apple.

Not an Apple Fanboy. I used Android solely for 3 years. I use Windows side-by-side with macOS now. I also still have an Android phone.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Again, security.

seriously?

who do you think is going to hack your phone?

i only use secure wi-fi and data.

you are being pedantic for no reason

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Not an Apple Fanboy. I used Android solely for 3 years. I use Windows side-by-side with macOS now. I also still have an Android phone.

Well if you have used it for 3 years then you know the answer to the title.

It's you. Android is not a mess.

I'm on 8.0 and the guy sitting across from me at work is on 8.1. I honestly couldn't care any less and he didn't seem to bothered about having 8.1 either. It's just a number on a screen.

/close thread

 

[Kainz]

My Pixel C tablet is on 8.1.0 - pretty much the latest OS.
My Nexus 6P that I recently retired is on 8.1.0. My new S8+ replacing the 6P has Oreo 8.0 with the latest security updates.
My wife's OnePlus 3 is on 8.1.0 - Well I know its one of versions of Oreo.
My old secondary Samsung Tab S8.4 tablet runs a Lineage rom that has Nougat (latest security updates) on it because I cba finding a new Oreo rom in the first place. I also prefer Nougat to Oreo.
Security wise, every single android device I own is on the latest security update, I can't speak for the wifes OnePlus as she's not here right now so I cannot check.

Meanwhile 3 of my mates have iPhone 6's with the latest ios 11.x that runs like trash. Imo NO iPhone 6 should run as laggy and slow as theirs does, given the hardware it packs.
My wifes iPad Air (no idea what version) runs iOS 10 and that runs like trash - slow animations, and facetime constantly having no sound. No other updates available.
My cousin from the states who is currently visiting has an iPhone 8 and that has laggy animations, with iMessage taking just over 5 seconds to open. No idea of OS version though.
They may have the latest OS but they're already looking for a new phone to upgrade to lol. Gotta love those 'updates'.

The upgrade mentality is real and has been for a few years now. Everyone wants the latest and greatest, to have the HIGHEST OS number even though they'll never utilise any new features. Associate anything with a number and us humans will want the highest. I couldn't care less as to what I run - I just want a working OS, that is smooth and useable. I've never had a security issue period partly because I rarely install rubbish from the crap store anyway only trusted apps I know.

My only REAL issue with android is the state of Google's own apps that receive updates daily with a scant changelog apart from 'Bug fixes and performance updates'. What exactly are they updating almost daily? Why are so many of their apps i.e YouTube and Google Home app a UI/Navigation clusterduck?

 

[Schnippzle]

Email attachments and lack of a proper browsable file system are enough to make me steer clear of Apple devices. I have a work iPhone SE and some days it drives me mental trying to do simple things.

A few years ago I would have agreed with you 100%, but in the last year my priorities have turned quite a bit. Now a days for me security and privacy is more important and until someone like Eelo release a Google-separated version of Android I can't help but feel that iOS is more secure (from a data-leeching perspective). There is obviously an argument to say Apple vs Google and which company hives off my data etc, but the fact that I need to have body sensors enabled as a dependency for Google Play services to experience a fault-free app update service puts me off Android.

I tend to go between iOS & Android every six months or so, and at the moment I feel more comfortable with iOS from a security perspective. Security isn't all about hacking your phone, it's about protecting the users data and identity from unwarranted and unsolicited sharing of that data regardless where the requests come from.

Unfortunately it feels like Google have let the Android development run rampant without governance or control, whilst leaving it up to 3rd party developers to generate unknown/untold variants of the OS. Because of this it's an almost uncontrollable platform with a very convoluted separation of application-level privileges and dependencies. Shame.

 

[james.miller]

Again, security.

No I've said this, security is no longer tied to android main os updates. Security patches and os updates are separate so you should treat them as such. Yo do not need to be on the latest version of Android to have the latest security patches. I can't make it any clearer than that.