Samsung Galaxy update removes Android recovery menu tools, including sideloading
9to5google.com
9to5google.com
On unlocked devices, you can install your own recovery that still has the option. So the removal doesn't prevent too much in practice. That ship sailed when Samsung stopped allowing bootloader unlocking on most of their phones.
What's interesting is that they tried hard to cater to the tinkerers before going in this direction. They "bought" (acqui-hired) CyanogenMod, contributed to open-source and had developer builds of their ROMs. I think they even had clean AOSP builds with the HAL and ABIs for their hardware baked in at some point. SafetyNet made it realistically impossible to daily a rooted phone in 2026 if you want to use banking, healthcare or most music apps, so it's safer for OEMs to tighten the screws on access to their hardware in kind.
My take is that they saw all of this as a risk to profits they could make from catering to regulated industries who would deploy their hardware en masse. It also didn't make sense to continue this investment after banks and healthcare put pressure on Google to step up privacy in Android, especially after Apple implemented Secure Enclave.
It's a pyrrhic victory regardless, in my opinion. If you're going to run a super-locked down Android device, you might as well go all-in with Apple. Their hardware ecosystem is better, their cloud services are better, they get first-priority for mobile apps, you get Blue Bubble Benefits, and their support (in-store and online) is on another level. Even MDM is better with Apple devices (through iOS Profiles). Shoot, even privacy-minded folks are better off on iOS with Lockdown mode.
>real alternatives browsers
Using webkit as the underlying engine within the different browsers on the platform has provided enough customization. The parts I actually care about in regards to the browser are the parts actually handling the user experience and not the engine itself. Webkit has evolved enough that it is good enough for my needs at least.
You get a general feeling that Android is half assed if you don't use a Google account. Adding tasks using Gemini voice assistant? Sure, but only if you use Google Tasks. And so on.
I moved to Android from iPhone and am actually considering going back for those very reasons. Super annoying to see these limitations, iOS was much more provider-agnostic.
Yes DAVx5 exists, but Google Calendar was buggy with local calendars and DAVx5 actually didn't work reliably afaict.
Calendar.app is totally seamless with synology on iOS. Same with contacts.
Android was working overtime to make sure I use Google for everything. iOS isn't perfect but I don't have to jump through crazy hoops to be in control of my data.
I've been self-hosting it for several years, with the entire thing (ntfy / UnifiedPush for calendar event updates, Radicale for CalDav & CardDav) working perfectly once background "optimization" is disabled
iOS was actually much worse - it happily synced to an ip address and port on the LAN, then failed silently and without error messages when using a VPN away from home.
> tried to move to Android because it's more open
At least we agree on this - AOSP is more open, but that's not what's on offer any more. Hell, Android Beam was AOSP, and super nice for transferring files. It's now "Google Share", with all the proprietary bullshit that implies, and NFC's utility crippled if you don't use Google Services.
Also, do you use Gemini for adding calendar events and tasks?
Not to be dismissive, but no, not at all. I'm not even sure which apps I'd want that add something to my calendar. A massage therapy place's app might do this, but I prefer the website when booking anyways. Beyond that, I'm not sure what types of apps would do this (though I'm confident you have examples that'll seem obvious as soon as they're listed).
I could imagine gMail doing something like this with Google Calendar, but I avoid the panopticon for myriad reasons - not least of which was, last time I had an issue with my eMail services provider, I recieved an intelligent, issue-resolving response from support, within 24 hours
> do you use Gemini for adding calendar events and tasks?
No, and the most I'd consider is a locally-run LLM on something like a local Home Assistant with a few microphones around the home. I don't believe I'm a person of interest, but "We kill people based on metadata" has left me with little appetite for something so personal being run and controlled by for-profit, American entities.
Android OOTB, especially on Pixels, just sort of assumes you are using Google for everything. There's no "Calendar" there's only Google calendar, there's no Mail app there's only Gmail, etc.
iOS feels like an agnostic OS, however locked down, Android still feels purely like a Google product meant to push Google services.
Yes I could use Firefox and ublock to get around YouTube ads, but it actually worked worse than using Orion browser on iOS to do the equivalent. The Pixel 10 Pro couldn’t manage 2x without audio stuttering even at 360p. My iPhone can do it with 4K YouTube video, not that I need that.
iOS natively supports self-hosted contacts and calendars. No hoops. Android needs a separate app that may or may not work (my experience: it doesn’t work and doesn’t give useful feedback when it doesn’t work).
The app quality is so much worse on Android I had to go back. No forward gesture in apps and browsers - insane omission. There are literally only two calendar apps on Android that allow touch-based event editing - Business Calendar 2 Pro (paid subscription) and the Samsung exclusive calendar.
How does a modern smartphone not ship with a decent calendar?? Or touch friendly web navigation?
The rendering engine of the browser is far down the list of priorities compared to supporting basic daily workflows.
You're comparing semi-abandoned AOSP tools with commercial Apple utilities.
There only two calendars in the entire Android ecosystem that support efficient use, one is a vendor lock in, the other is ugly as sin and requires a subscription.
As for web navigation, I’m comparing Safari to Vanadium and Firefox, neither are semi-abandoned.
Supposedly it's there, but it's up to the app to support that gesture.
> Samsung exclusive calendar
I am actually still wondering whether Samsung isn't the way to go, they do make sure to allow you the choice of not having to use Google apps, so they have their own calendar app, their own AI app, etc. I am currently on Nothing phone which is full-on Google. Might give Samsung a try before I move back to iOS.
EDIT: although I can already see they have no CalDAV support, either: https://eu.community.samsung.com/t5/mobile-apps-services/sam...
Put in that context, it is not strange at all that your specific need is not met. All those people with Android, they don’t use a calendar to manage their lives. Maybe work forces them to use a calendar but that’s it.
Though you're right in that Android will always have the upper hand in browser freedom. I definitely miss running real Firefox (with real extensions) on my phone. If only Snapdragon could provide anything close to A-series CPU performance.
Examples? My impression is that strong integrity is hard to spoof because it's validated through hardware attestation.
See TrickyStore for more info
Goodbye Samsung anyways, I've been with them since 2013 but it's time to go now.
I would not be surprised if, in a few years, these options are gone from all android devices.
People mention GrapheneOS but that relies entirely on Google.
Yes they are working with an OEM (leaked as Motorola) and we'll see how that goes, it may be the last hope.
I'm afraid, I agree.
> People mention GrapheneOS but that relies entirely on Google.
I really admire the developers of various AOSP distros for their tenacity, technical brilliance and empathy. But honestly, I don't see AOSP as a solution. It's a deliberately moving target that wastes their time in chasing down the shifting goal posts and hurdles. The only viable solution is to go for a fully open mobile OS, probably based on Linux or a BSD. There are two big difficulties here.
The first is as you mentioned, most devices are severely locked down and their internal details hidden behind NDAs. Getting even the basic set of drivers working is a challenge. The solution is to ask friendly vendors (like Fairphone) for support and then aggressively purse compatibility with them. I'm very much willing to restrict my purchase choices to vendors who agree to such collaborations. If this works, others will follow eventually - like what we've seen with Linux on desktops and laptops.
The second problem is the app ecosystem. It's a chicken and egg problem. You need customers for software vendors to support the platform. But you need a large software ecosystem to attract customers. At least some customers will have to forgo convenience in the beginning and put up with the limitations, in pursuit of a better future. Again, I'm willing. But I don't know if the entire community is big enough to make a difference.
Nevertheless, these are worthy goals to pursue. Once the basic framework is established, the rest of the ecosystem will progress rapidly, since the developers can focus on functionality rather than fighting the never-ending parade of capricious 'safety features'. I'm just tired of putting up with all the wanton consumer abuse by these infinitely greedy corporations.
Which is a bit funny I suppose, since a lot of people around where I live seem to assume that smartphone means either Samsung or Apple.
Currently I'm using Fairphone (Made by a Dutch company, and now can be bought with a degoogled android from France)
I used Samsung for decades but since buying a Pixel 7 PRO to install GrapheneOS on it, I am never using another non-GrapheneOS phone again period.
I can do everything, have full control over my phone, receive security updates that other phones will take half year to receive to name a few.
The only thing that doesn't work on GOS is Google Wallet, but since I have gone De-Google with Proton Mail and what not, I couldn't care less.
Important apps like banking and gov apps do work without problems.
And to avoid dependency on Google hardware, GrapheneOS is releasing their own EOM phone most likely by the end of 2027.
Can you still run without a Google account?
Right now, you can install F-Droid from an APK file without rooting the phone or installing a new boot loader. Google is threatening to take that capability away, via another mod. This seems to be part of a comprehensive program to keep the Google boot on the customer's face.
Also, currently, with difficulty, you can initialize a new unlocked Android phone without a Google account. Is that capability going away?
All these are related. This seems to be part of a comprehensive program to keep the Google boot on the customer's face.
F-Droid warns that Google's new "Developer Verification System" will require all Android app developers, even those outside the Play Store, to register personal data and pay a fee to Google to remain installable. The project argues this mandate threatens the existence of free and open-source ecosystems like F-Droid by ending anonymous development and stripping users of the right to choose their own software.
So that is one threat to what we have now. Right now you can install an APK that you trust and have been using for years.
What the article does say is that Samsung is removing several core options from the Android recovery menu, including the ability to sideload updates via ADB or SD cards and the "wipe cache partition" tool. While the reason for this change remains unconfirmed, it appears to be a permanent security policy shift tied to the One UI 8.5 update and the February 2026 security patch.
So why does this matter? Well some users like nocturn9x [0] have been able to take back control of their devices by installing: 1. An Unlocked Boot Loader. 2. An Unlocked OneUI/ROM 3. And then F-droid style installs are not problem.
Specifically, you can still install your trusted APK if you perform these steps, own a device where the hardware eFuses have not been blown and decline "Play Protect" nag screens and OneUI updates.
It's ", including installing software". Lets not let the enemy of general purpose computing define the framing of the discussion.