The interesting thing I always found with Windows phones was how easy it was to remove any and all bloatware on their phones.
Don't the One Plus and Android One phones come pretty clean with only a few Google apps on them?
Don't the One Plus and Android One phones come pretty clean with only a few Google apps on them?
Google added a disable feature. Funny thing is you can disable the disable feature for certain apps.
Second, the manufacturer is still allowed to put some apps, especially background system apps. I'm not sure what the standard is but it seems to be about user experience rather than security/privacy/user freedom/space.
Third, I suspect a lot of the above fit a common description of spyware. They collect my data without my consent or at best with some fine print.
Android One is to Google what TouchWiz (or whatever it's called) is to Samsung.
OnePlus came with malware not too long ago, so I'm going to answer that with an emphatic no. They are better than some HTC phones I've seen, but that's not a high bar to meet.
The Xiaomi Android One line does manage to price in the $150 range without bloatware, and I'm not sure how.
I have an A1 and have logged it's network requests all day for fun. There's absolutely nothing remotely resembling "spyware". Compared to prolific unremovable bloat than many premium phones have it's an excellent phone. Ended up buying another for safekeeping if something ever goes wrong with it.
Android One, monthly security updates, official bootlock unloader, some of the best LineageOS support around. Compared to nearly everything else on the market (besides Pixels or Nokias) it's an absolute joy to actually have control over my phone.
It also has com.wapi.wapicertmanage, WAPI as in World Association of Professional Investigators! No idea what it does but from the name, it sounds it's security related.
Do these belong on an Android One phone? Do these fit with the impression that most people seem to have about Android One?
1: https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-7-pro/how-to/debloa...
You know how sometimes, cell ISPs ban certain baseband firmwares from connecting to their network, such that you have to upgrade your phone's firmware before it can connect? Now what happens if you live in some college dorm that has only WAPI-configured wi-fi APs? Guess your phone's a brick until you can find wi-fi somewhere else!
In other words, this is kind of a crucial package for a phone you're going to be using in China.
(But also, it's government-mandated that phones released in China have WAPI support.)