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Comment by stackghost | Hacker News Reader

From a marketing standpoint it seems like a baffling decision on Google's part.

I own a Pixel and while the hardware seems decent, I've had a buggy and annoying experience with Android, and it's been getting worse lately.

Are Google so high on their own supply that they think people use their phones out of preference for the OS? Because frankly it's not very good. That's like Microsoft thinking people use Teams because of its merits.

People buy Android phones because they can be had cheaper than an equivalent iPhone and because in spite of the buggy and inconsistent mess of an OS, you aren't beholden to Apple's regimented UX. Locking down Android will not give it a "premium experience"... It'll always just be "Temu iOS" at best.

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Have you considered Graphene since you own a Pixel? It's a huge upgrade over the stock OS in terms of security, privacy and general reduction of bloat.

Yep it's definitely on my list but my Pixel is on its last legs and I'm considering going back to iOS.

I urge you not too. iOS is fully locked down -- Apple won't allow you to exert control over the hardware that you bought and own, it's shocking.

I've owned iPhones before, they're fine.

If by fine you mean "they work," then sure. But since it is a closed platform controlled by Apple, you are always one law away from client-side scanning of your conversations, emails and any other content on your Phone. Of course, this will be done to "catch terrorists and protect the children," and Apple will obviously comply.

I don't need a condescending lecture on software freedom, thanks.

Having just gone from an iPhone as my main phone to a Pixel with GrapheneOS, GrapheneOS is such a breath of fresh air. No constant push of AI, iCloud services, etc. plus I actually feel owner of my phone and not living on some feudal landlord's plot.

GrapheneOS is great!

> "Temu iOS"

Come on, that's absolutely laughable.

There are several topics where Android is significantly ahead to the point that iOS is just a toy, and there are areas where the reverse is true.

And I say that as a recent convert, so it's not like I have a decade out of date view of any of the OSs. In my experience I had more visual bugs in case of iOS than android (volume slider not displaying correctly in certain cases when the content was rotated as a very annoying example).

>Come on, that's absolutely laughable.

It's not, though. Google phones are not going to suddenly become luxury devices.

It's going to remain at the same level of polish (i.e. mediocre), except now without the major selling point of being able to run your own apps and have alternative app stores, etc. Back around Ice Cream Sandwich or thereabouts they got rid of "phone calls only mode" and forced us to rely on their half-baked "priority mode" that's an opaque shitshow.

When my wife is on call she gets random whatsapp notifications dinging all night, whereas when I had an iphone I could set Focus mode and achieve proper "phone calls only".

Android is not good. I use it despite its flaws, because of the trade-offs, not because it's better.

I'm talking about the OS though.

Me too. The OS sucks.

> Google phones are not going to suddenly become luxury devices

Pixel Fold disagrees.

> When my wife is on call she gets random whatsapp notifications dinging all night, whereas when I had an iphone I could set Focus mode and achieve proper "phone calls only".

You can do that with do not disturb.

> Android is not good. I use it despite its flaws, because of the trade-offs, not because it's better.

That is your opinion. My opinion is different.

> Android is not good. I use it despite its flaws, because of the trade-offs, not because it's better.

Android is good, but Googled Android is not. You should check out GrapheneOS to see what Android done properly looks like.

People buy high-end Android phones like crazy, I don't know what bubble you live in. Samsung Folds and Flips are the luxury phones, not the iPhone Pro Max S eXtreme Edition 32 GB that looks exactly like the base model but has a slightly better camera. People show off their S Pen and perfectly stabilised 100x zoom lens, not their liquid ass. Multi-window and DeX are features for professionals who need to Get Shit Done^TM, iPhones are the toys kids use to send memojis to each other.

And yes, I can also click one button and go into phone calls only mode. I can even set it on a schedule or based on my calendar. I don't know where you're getting your half-baked Android, mine Just Works.

You might not agree with every one of those points, but you can't seriously think everyone thinks like you. Go outside your bubble some time.

Putting "Samsung" and "luxury" in the same sentence is lunacy. Their proprietary Android is even worse than Google's.

Where do you live? I've literally never seen anyone using a Fold or Flip device, ever. My kids are at the age where some of their peers are starting to get phones. All those kids have iPhones.

If your plan is to keep saying unsubstantiated bullshit, take that to Reddit. Go to a store and try modern OneUI - it's just AOSP with a slightly different layout and more features. The apps are worse than Google's, but the OS is better. Both are miles above iOS in features, especially for power users. Split screen, windows, chat bubbles, DeX, notification categories and history, vendor-neutral PC integration and TV casting, ...

And I don't quite see your point about your kids' friends using iPhones. I sure as hell wouldn't give a kid a "luxury" phone. I'd take the cheapest thing that does the job and lasts a long time. An iPhone has a very long software support window so the cheaper models actually end up cost-competitive with budget Androids.

As for folds and flips, I've mostly seen people in suits using them, along with a few techy power users and some kids with rich parents. That's a luxury phone in my book.

babe wake up new hn copypasta just dropped

You can definitely make a "phone calls only" mode: create a mode, allow certain apps to interrupt, and add only phone calls to the list.

I do think they should offer more pre-configured notification modes by default, if only to show people what they can do with the feature. Perhaps "phone calls only" should be one of those.

> Are Google so high on their own supply that they think people use their phones out of preference for the OS? Because frankly it's not very good

Honestly having gone back and forth between iOS and Android every three years or so, both OS are the same. It's not like the grass is really greener on the Apple side. The UX is virtually identical for anything that matters. Personally I put material Android above liquid glass iOS. The alleged polish of the Apple UX was lost on me when I had my last iphone.

The reason Google's moves are surprising has more to do with them embracing being a service player more and more with the arrival of Gemini and them having regulators breathing down their necks everywhere.

I guess they did it after the truly baffling US decision in the Epic trial but it's very likely to go against them in the EU.

The rumors that I have heard (and one government document I read that was poorly translated from Thai) is that there are some countries who are pressuring Google on this to combat info-stealing malware. Apparently, account-takeover/theft is very prevalent in SE Asia where most banking is done via Android phones.

Maybe but lobbying is extremely strong in SE Asia. It's hard to distinguish from governments putting pressure for something and companies suggesting it would be a good idea.

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