Thinking on leaving Android

[A895]

Bad example. BlackBerry currently holds about 0.4% of mobile market (including BBOS devices with discontinied support) and have no choice but to support the few BB10 devices they have. Otherwise their puny hardware business will die tomorrow. With the updates it will still die, but a bit later.

You are ill informed. Blackberry makes millions now in infrastructure, security and IT stuff. Their mobile side is actually smaller now. They are becoming more interested in improving mobile security for all. Did people forget Samsung and Blackberry teamed up for Knox? Or Blackberry putting work into QNX for Ford and other car makers? They are becoming more of a services company and that is a good thing.

 

[A895]

You're right, the problem isn't Google. The problem is the OEMs, the problem is you. If the phone is working perfectly fine why on earth do you need an update? My first-gen Moto X is still on KK. While I'd like an update to L, the phone is working perfectly so I'm in no rush even though I'd love to get the updated features of the Moto apps (display, assist, etc). The OEMs, carriers and the chipset manufacturer all control what updates come to a device. If the chipset manufacturer won't provide the drivers needed to run their hardware on the new OS, no new OS for devices running that chipset.

What is "less appealing" about Android? Lack of updates?

By the way, I read a post in another section of this site where the person got LP and it screwed up their device and they were looking to go back to KitKat. Either we get updates quick but buggy (and people complain their device is screwed up because of it) or they come when they come on supported device and they are less buggy (but people complain it takes too long to get the update). I'd MUCH rather they take their time and get it right.



Yeah, because that's worked so well for Windows :/ By the way, eventually even in Windows there is a point in time where a device will not get drivers for a new version. While it may be longer, it DOES still happen.

That is the rub, my phone is now feeling that strain now. Using some apps is laggy, apps get kicked out of memory quickly, and games like Asphalt 8 won't run well on my phone at all.

 

[A895]

How else would the companies get money though, besides tossing you a bone, so to speak? When an OEM, Google, etc. stop supporting updates for an old phone, you want to get a new phone right? This is where they sweep in: "Hey, look! New stuff in here that's 'better' than what you have! Buy it! Buy it! Buy it!" So you get rid of that phone that you can't update anymore and get a new phone. Unfortunately, it sucks for those trying to save money, but this is just one rule of technology and businesses-you have to force a demand in order to stay in business.

I get that. I understand that, but along with updates, and Googles increasing lockdown of Android, I may as well move to a smartphone that fits my current ecosystem like Windows Phone. I am thinking of going off contract and just buy phones like the Lumia 435 to use it until it breaks and buy another one, at least they are much cheaper (sub $100) and I 'll get updates. Plus I could finally watch my Xbox Video movies on the go. I won like 7-8 movies on Xbox live can't watch them at all on my phone.

 

[A895]

The best they can get from 2012 hardware based devices with extremely unpopular OS, compatibility issues and dead ecosystem.

That's fine, but that isn't the argument. Blackberry with its limited resources can support a phone for 2+ years, why not LG or HTC or Motorola?

 

[hallux]

That is the rub, my phone is now feeling that strain now. Using some apps is laggy, apps get kicked out of memory quickly, and games like Asphalt 8 won't run well on my phone at all.

What phone? It sounds more like a lack of RAM, not a lack of update. Not getting LP on your phone will not cause apps to get booted from memory, not having enough memory will cause apps to get booted from memory.

 

[A895]

Not every Microsoft phone is getting the latest Windows Phone OS.

Yes, Apple killed iPhone 4S performance with iOS7 update with no way back. Good example.

Microsoft has already confirmed all Lumia WP are getting W10, and the iPhone 4S got iOS 8. That is a good example when my roommate has a 4S and uses it just fine.

 

[A895]

What phone? It sounds more like a lack of RAM, not a lack of update. Not getting LP on your phone will not cause apps to get booted from memory, not having enough memory will cause apps to get booted from memory.

It the fact that (I addressed this in my OP), Google Services is a resource hog and it becoming too intertwined with Android. I can disable it and have a noticeable improvement to performance but I lose app updates and some apps won't send notifications without it or work properly at all.

 

[Aquila]

That is the problem I am specifically talking about. There is only one line of phones that get decent support. and they aren't for everyone. The Nexus 6 is a mini tablet. Hell the Kindle Fire HD 6 is a tablet and it has the same size screen.



You just did when you said you have to go Nexus to get updates. Google is responsible for everything else on Android, but when it comes to updates, everyone is always like "that isn't Googles fault". Can Google not lean on carriers and OEMs to provide support for the damn phones they sell?



No what has made Android so big is its wide range of choice in devices at different price points. That is what the majority of what makes Android great, a large swath in choice of hardware. Now, a good number of consumers realize Android does some things better than iOS or any other OS. But what has made Android a household name is its diversity. Hell, it is even Androids slogan "Be together, not the same".

Google cannot and ought not lean on other companies to push updates. That's not Google's role. Very few people want a dictatorial Google. I said I'm not excusing anything, and I am not. I do not believe that this is a problem that requires any excuses to be made. Google has the following responsibilities on Android: Support all active apps, support security and stability fixes for firmware, support hardware RMA, etc for devices bought from the play store. That's it. No one has any obligations to update anything. That OEMS do is a part of keeping the best user experience for customer retention and attraction reasons, it is marketing. The OEM's do not owe anyone any upgrades. Also, I did not say that android is the biggest, I said it is the best os. Its not best because it is bigger and its not bigger because it is better. Googles position in android must be at distance from consumer devices in order for the customization to remain viable. At least until OEMS move all of their customizations to applications, instead of firmware. And that may never happen.

Nexus 6 Assassin Edition. Android Central Moderator.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Microsoft has already confirmed all Lumia WP are getting W10, and the iPhone 4S got iOS 8. That is a good example when my roommate has a 4S and uses it just fine.

I have a Lumia 920. It had become practically unusable on WP8.1. Cyan with the "resuming" bug. AT&T never released the Denim update for it. Battery life had gotten bad.

I went ahead and installed Windows 10 Technical Preview, but it's way too buggy for daily use. The lag hasn't stopped either.

I'll see what happens when official Windows 10 is available, but I doubt it will be better on that device. The 920 is a higher end device than the 520, although both are now 2½ years old.

I don't think older Windows Phones run newer OS versions any better than older Androids.

Sent from my Nexus 7 (2013) using Tapatalk

 

[Aquila]

Laura is one of the 10 Windows customers . One of the best!

Nexus 6 Assassin Edition. Android Central Moderator.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Laura is one of the 10 Windows customers . One of the best!

Nexus 6 Assassin Edition. Android Central Moderator.

I'm running Lollipop on my 2013 Nexus 7, and it has no lag. I can't say the same for the latest official version (8.1) of Windows Phone on my Lumia 920. I might end up being wrong, but I doubt if my Lumia 920 will run Windows 10 without lag.

Sent from my Nexus 7 (2013) using Tapatalk

 

[Laura Knotek]

Microsoft has already confirmed all Lumia WP are getting W10, and the iPhone 4S got iOS 8. That is a good example when my roommate has a 4S and uses it just fine.

Unbranded Lumias will get Windows 10. However, it is still up to the carriers to provide Windows 10 updates for branded devices.

I never got Denim from AT&T, so I'm not getting my hopes up that they'll provide Windows 10 for my Lumia 920.

T-Mobile never updated the Lumia 810 from WP8 to WP8.1. T-Mobile just discontinued and abandoned the 810.

Verizon discontinued the Icon after only about 6 months.

Sent from my Nexus 7 (2013) using Tapatalk

 

[SmilerOnline]

I often check my Nexus 5's CPU/RAM usage via a widget, and most of the time when my device is idling on the home screen (with the recent's screen cleared) it shows below 512MB of RAM(out of 2GB) is being used, so Google Play Services can't be that bad.

If you are finding that your average CPU/RAM usage is too high then I would recommend that you remove all unnecessary apps once every three months on average to help improve performance/battery life, and I also found that the Facebook for Android app can have a terrible impact on the battery and performance (even if you have never even signed in to it...) especially with the location tracking running so often too.
*Note*
I haven't used FB for Android for a while so it may have been updated to fix these issues since though.
But to be honest I would personally prefer to uninstall/disable any social network app and check for updates via my browser to reduce the performance impact/power consumption from those apps.

But removing all apps that you haven't used for over a month can potentially make quite a difference.

Even if you are gonna switch sides, it would be worth trying just to keep your current device running smooth until then

 

[A895]

I often check my Nexus 5's CPU/RAM usage via a widget, and most of the time when my device is idling on the home screen (with the recent's screen cleared) it shows below 512MB of RAM(out of 2GB) is being used, so Google Play Services can't be that bad.

If you are finding that your average CPU/RAM usage is too high then I would recommend that you remove all unnecessary apps once every three months on average to help improve performance/battery life, and I also found that the Facebook for Android app can have a terrible impact on the battery and performance (even if you have never even signed in to it...) especially with the location tracking running so often too.
*Note*
I haven't used FB for Android for a while so it may have been updated to fix these issues since though.
But to be honest I would personally prefer to uninstall/disable any social network app and check for updates via my browser to reduce the performance impact/power consumption from those apps.

But removing all apps that you haven't used for over a month can potentially make quite a difference.

Even if you are gonna switch sides, it would be worth trying just to keep your current device running smooth until then

I know how to keep my device smooth. It isn't my apps. I don't use social networks and disabled most Google and built in apps. It is Google Services. I have a post about it.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Aquila]

I know how to keep my device smooth. It isn't my apps. I don't use social networks and disabled most Google and built in apps. It is Google Services. I have a post about it.

Posted via the Android Central App

I read that thread. The gist of it seemed to be that extremely old low end devices have issues keeping up in modern times. I remember a comment about it being unfortunate that higher specs are required for a flawless user experience. This seems to be another reason not to buy subpar devices. And tech is definitely still moving fast enough that two years is an extreme amount of time for a device to maintain relevance. The fact that over 90% of android devices are kept up to date by Services is remarkable. Without Services, your two year old device would be incompatible with an enormous quantity of apps and services. I personally think that these older devices, even low range, are still capable of running the majority of apps, so Services keeping them up to date in order to be able to do so is a great option. I've never considered Services as a resource hog, its 11th on my currently running apps and I've got a full 1.2 GB of RAM available right now.

Nexus 6 Assassin Edition. Android Central Moderator.

 

[vbdwork]

I know how to keep my device smooth. It isn't my apps. I don't use social networks and disabled most Google and built in apps. It is Google Services. I have a post about it.

The only thing you have to do is to get a good hardware device. Don't use any cache cleaners and memory optimizers. They do more harm than good. Android OS runs better with large cache and full memory. I have no performance issues whatsoever on my 2 HTC devices and I feel no need to limit or disable any services.

 

[anon(55900)]

I left, after being on a Nexus 4 running lollipop for two years. The only two thing that really bothered me was that phone gave me eyestrain headaches and the UI never felt natural to me. I didn't feel at ease using the phone the way the UI was. Anyway, I got curious and tried out a Blackberry Z30 and instantly my eyestrain headaches were gone. The UI feels much more intuitive especially the HUB. It's a simple UI, you open up to lock screen then main screen, to the left is the message HUB, to the right are extra screens for App's.

I was pleasantly surprised at all the ways one can get App's on the BB, you get, yes, limited App's in BB World, but you can also download Android Apps through Amazon but also, you can easily side load an App called Snap (by using a free loader on your PC called sachesi) which is a very good front for the Google Play Store, virtually all the Apps that liked when on the Nexus 4 works just as good on the BB.

OS updates are readily available in the wild and can also be loaded using the free sachesi App on your PC. The Z30 is nearing two years old but I cannot tell from real life function! My next BB will be either the newly released and praised Passport or the in process Slider phone, which will be a flag ship phone with a full screen and what I love, it will slide to reveal a physical keyboard.

PS: and don't get me started on battery life! The Blackberry Z30 has an amazing battery life. The specs are right on regarding battery life. I have a 64GB micro sd card install too! Sound quality is spot on and loud for playing music with phones dual speakers. Drop Box, Box and Mega Apps for personal cloud storage. Blackberry Assistant gets the jobs done as well as BB Maps, plus Waze works on the BB too.

 

[A895]

The only thing you have to do is to get a good hardware device. Don't use any cache cleaners and memory optimizers. They do more harm than good. Android OS runs better with large cache and full memory. I have no performance issues whatsoever on my 2 HTC devices and I feel no need to limit or disable any services.

Android runs like crap with full RAM, just like a computer does. That myth needs to die. Android when RAM is full kicks out things even more in they aren't in the foreground. More app crashes, more lag. I don't use device optimizers either. No need to assume what I am doing. All I did was disable apps I never use or don't want. That was it. Everything that happens is because Google Services along with a few apps run the background a lot. Using RAM, and when I had the Google App enabled, it made my battery life shorter.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[A895]

I left, after being on a Nexus 4 running lollipop for two years. The only two thing that really bothered me was that phone gave me eyestrain headaches and the UI never felt natural to me. I didn't feel at ease using the phone the way the UI was. Anyway, I got curious and tried out a Blackberry Z30 and instantly my eyestrain headaches were gone. The UI feels much more intuitive especially the HUB. It's a simple UI, you open up to lock screen then main screen, to the left is the message HUB, to the right are extra screens for App's.

I was pleasantly surprised at all the ways one can get App's on the BB, you get, yes, limited App's in BB World, but you can also download Android Apps through Amazon but also, you can easily side load an App called Snap (by using a free loader on your PC called sachesi) which is a very good front for the Google Play Store, virtually all the Apps that liked when on the Nexus 4 works just as good on the BB.

OS updates are readily available in the wild and can also be loaded using the free sachesi App on your PC. The Z30 is nearing two years old but I cannot tell from real life function! My next BB will be either the newly released and praised Passport or the in process Slider phone, which will be a flag ship phone with a full screen and what I love, it will slide to reveal a physical keyboard.

PS: and don't get me started on battery life! The Blackberry Z30 has an amazing battery life. The specs are right on regarding battery life. I have a 64GB micro sd card install too! Sound quality is spot on and loud for playing music with phones dual speakers. Drop Box, Box and Mega Apps for personal cloud storage. Blackberry Assistant gets the jobs done as well as BB Maps, plus Waze works on the BB too.

I know a lot about Blackberry 10 and believe me I still strongly want to try it out. They need some high end hardware besides the Z30 on Verizon though. That AT&T version of the Passport looks amazing.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[A895]

I read that thread. The gist of it seemed to be that extremely old low end devices have issues keeping up in modern times. I remember a comment about it being unfortunate that higher specs are required for a flawless user experience. This seems to be another reason not to buy subpar devices. And tech is definitely still moving fast enough that two years is an extreme amount of time for a device to maintain relevance. The fact that over 90% of android devices are kept up to date by Services is remarkable. Without Services, your two year old device would be incompatible with an enormous quantity of apps and services. I personally think that these older devices, even low range, are still capable of running the majority of apps, so Services keeping them up to date in order to be able to do so is a great option. I've never considered Services as a resource hog, its 11th on my currently running apps and I've got a full 1.2 GB of RAM available right now.

Nexus 6 Assassin Edition. Android Central Moderator.

How is the Moto G or even RAZR M extremely low end? I guess with a Nexus 6 it would. Even then I would wager majority of Android devices sold aren't even nowhere near the specs of the Nexus 6. And with the majority of people on AC using more up to date hardware they would be of course not knowledgeable about anyone who used devices with less specs would fare with the same apps.

What makes it worse is that how many people say Android is slow? Or get viruses or whatever? Issues like this would cause someone to go to a different platform. And many of these people aren't smart enough to participate on tech forums.

I think there is a strong argument in that of why people end up on iOS.

Posted via the Android Central App