Is Google flexing muscle in a bad way?

[Mike_47]

"It" seems to be getting worse with KitKat. Today there was an update of 9 apps in my Nexus 4. And my SwiftKey keyboard was replaced with the Google keyboard. It took me a while to get SwiftKey back. Recently a new app appeared, Play Newstand. This is supposed to replace Currents, but they don't let you uninstall Currents.

Some weeks ago, a new app showed up called Photos. This took me into Google+ where two of my photos were posted without my permission. Periodically, there are little reminders to turn Photo Backup on... which I neither want nor need. At the time, I took a phone picture of a table top [needing repair], and there it was in Google+ for all to see! Here's an aside, I used to be able to see my attached photos in Gmail, full size. Now all I can do is download or send them to Drive.

I really like the Nexus 4. Lately it seems to be filled with more and more of Google bloatware. Let's remember, there's only 16gb of storage with no option for expansion. Let's remember that this is my device. If this is the way it's going to go, I just might not buy a Google phone next time. Thanks for listening. O

 

[someguy01234]

The Nexus come preloadedwith Google Keyboard, but they would not just remove Swiftkey at will to force you to use Google Keyboard. You can go into Settings -> Language and input and force any keyboard you have installed as default.

Currents is defunct, but the reason why it can't be uninstalled is because it's a system app, to remove it need root. You can still disable it. If you manually flash the latest stock image it won't be there.

Nexus devices are to showcase Google services, if you don't want to use Google you can disable the apps in Settings, or install an AOSP rom and not flash google apps. Personally, I manually disable syncing for all the Google services that I don't want to be synced.

What I suggest doing is rooting and deleting apps you don't want. If you think Google phones are bloat I guess you haven't download a Touchwiz or LG factory firmware, they are around 1-2GB large.

 

[gone down south]

Photos backs everything up to a private folder, no one can see your pictures.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[xchange]

Photos backs everything up to a private folder, no one can see your pictures.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using AC Forums mobile app

This.

 

[Mike_47]

Learning from experience... My Nexus 7 [2012] updated 22 apps today, and sure enough the Google keyboard had become default. It was a snap to get SwiftKey back this time. As for bloatware, I'm told that Samsung and the others are far worse than Google.

 

[yfan]

Nexus phones are supposed to give you the pure Google experience, not necessarily the pure Android experience. But Nexus phones are also incredibly development friendly, so you could root and rom to your heart's content. The proprietary Google apps through the Play Store, at least in part, are an answer to Android's fragmentation problem. Because of the nature of Android and OEMs' propensity to skin it, Google no longer wants to wait till OS updates are delivered to phones in order to enable certain features. So they are separating them out in the form of apps and letting everyone on almost any Android phone have that experience.

I am a little surprised though that the update is replacing your default keyboard. That sounds like a bug.

 

[Tall Mike 2145]

Well, Google just ate all the bacon in my house, so clearly they must be evil.

 

[Mike_47]

Well, Google just ate all the bacon in my house, so clearly they must be evil.

Evil and well nourished? )

 

[Bazza1]

There is some Apple'esque behaviour with Google and its Android OS, granted - foisting apps embedded into the OS that really ought to be up to the user to choose to use and install and default actions that really ought be up to the user to enable. This also results in some considerable bloatware on devices that routinely come with very limited storage abilities - and, in Google's case, without the ability to add additional storage. Like Apple.

A user shouldn't need to consider getting all geeky and start playing around with manually installing a custom OS - or having to live with apps and settings that are difficult/impossible to fix. If the product is good enough (and generally, for both Google and Apple, it is - hardware and OS), people will choose to install the manufacturer's apps they want. If they're not as good, users shouldn't have them forced down their throats.

 

[Tall Mike 2145]

In a way, Android OS reminds me of GNU/Linux because its beginnings and other aspects echo the "by geeks, for geeks" ambiance that has long been a hallmark of GNU/Linux. However, very much unlike GNU/Linux, Android's beginning entailed a lot of focus on presentation and UI refinement, whereas the geeks of the 80s/90s didn't give a crap about that.

I think this is a big factor in the public adoption of Android. That Google bought them up and pumped millions into it has significantly helped Android's UI to be comparable to iOS's.

 

[electrcm]

No someone has to compeat with m/s.I am sure google is pandering to the personal user insted of business

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Tall Mike 2145]

Google should buy up Research In Motion and then release it under the GPL. I'd love to see what the F/OSS community, particularly if driven by millions of dollars, could make of RIM mail and notification push / pull technology. Maybe we could kill off MS Exchange entirely.

 

[stackberry369]

Google should buy up Research In Motion and then release it under the GPL. I'd love to see what the F/OSS community, particularly if driven by millions of dollars, could make of RIM mail and notification push / pull technology. Maybe we could kill off MS Exchange entirely.

Ummmm,they are no longer RIM but blackberry now is the sole name of the company

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Sicily1918]

And my SwiftKey keyboard was replaced with the Google keyboard. It took me a while to get SwiftKey back.

It appears to be a SwiftKey thing -- every time you update the package (lately), it kills itself as a running process enough so that the OS doesn't see it as a keyboard. All you need to do is go to Settings -> Language & Input and simply re-enable it (check it).

The Nexus come preloaded with Google Keyboard, but they would not just remove Swiftkey at will to force you to use Google Keyboard.

Correct: and f it's the only keyboard you have (I disabled all others) and you forget to re-enable it when you update, all you can do is speak your entries; no KB shows up (until, as I stated, you re-check it).

 

[physioprof]

Yeah, that messed me up when Swiftkey updated and I had no other keyboard enabled: I couldn't type in my lock screen password, and ended up having to do a factory restore. But I learned my lesson and keep Google keyboard enabled.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using AC Forums mobile app