This will only be effective so long because gradually apps will require greater and greater API levels. Staying stuck in the past is, at best, a temporary solution.

The openness of Android is the thing that kept me on the platform. Now that the openness is being removed, iOS is now more appealing.

Sadly, I think most of the customers that use Android never sideload a single app at all. I don't expect this to create a mass exodus, but a smaller one with power users.

I didn't get it. EU pushes Apple for sideloading option. Android will come with embedded Linux terminal support and you can even run native Linux apps on your Android phone with Android 15.

I guess some C-Level assholes forcing this change in Google but this does not make any sense...

That's interesting, where did you grow up? I grew up believing everybody had the right to privacy. And to not provide your identity to strangers on the internet

It's like gay marriage. If you don't want to do it, you don't have to. But don't support restricting the freedom of others because it won't effect you

Enzy's point is that Linux isn't an OS but just the kernel, so the core part of the OS. That point is technically correct but practically utter bullshit. It's generally only pushed by pedants who have nothing better to do, because all the grown-ups in the room easily understand what's meant when someone refers to an OS called Linux (namely, Linux distributions, which contain a whole OS running on a provided Linux kernel).

I don't know about America or to be honest at all what ICE tracker does, but if I was to assume that it somehow tracks government agents where they go, there might be laws against that.

I grew up in Czechoslovakia and Australia, more Australia really. There might be a genuine reason why google is doing it or not. Most things require an identity these days. You cant drive without an identity , you can't purchase alcohol without an one, of open a bank account. Where does your privacy feeling stand there I suppose you don't have any of that? I'm actually amazed with so much fraud on the internet governments don't require an ID to open a browser on your PC. Isn't internet like a network of highways really ?

Also JMP.chat

Line must go up.

Friend you can buy a much cheaper android phone, which is why I don't really care much about this, though it is still obviously bad. I hate my phone, I hate cellphones in general, they're shitty feature locked mini laptops with a subscription so I can, what, make and receive 12 phonecalls a month? Download half a gb when I'm out of wifi range? Use google maps, the literally only truly useful thing my cellphone does for me?

Anyway, because of my disdain I buy the absolute cheapest cellphone on the market that has no attached plan, once every three or four years. I got a new one last month.

It cost thirty bucks. My monthly unlimited talk and text and data plan comes to about 22$ a month.

It's a piece of shit, obviously. But if all you're doing is begrudgingly using it to make a couple calls, send some texts, scroll Lemmy while you're pooping and occasionally use a map the price is appropriate.

Linux isn't an OS.

Pedantically true, but practically irrelevant statement.

You're missing the point again. It's not one or the other. We used to have BOTH. I use BT headphones day to day because I like the convenience, like you. However there plenty of times I wished I had an aux out or forgot my BT buds and wanted to use a pair of headphones I had at the desk.

We deserve BOTH.

And yet headphone ports are on all the cheap phones and lacking from the high end phones. Your argument just doesn't hold water.

Go put batteries in your walkman, grandpa.

The cheap phones are cheap because they lack other features, not because a headphone jack makes them cheaper.

I don't want to drag this conversation into American politics, but I will say ICE has been doing things against USA law. Things are not great here. Even noncitizens have rights that need to be respected, and ICE is failing to do that. They have also arrested lawful residents, citizens too, in their sweeps.

The ICE tracker app is a protest app/ direct action sort of thing, not a tool for criminality. Surely you can see the value of being able to use technology to resist a tyrannical government?

By the way, do you want the USA government to potentially control which software can be installed on your phone? Google is an American company. USA courts could decide (international company) is violating (American IP law or something else) and instruct Google to disallow their app from being installed entirely.

They can pull apps off the app store now, and they do that, but currently you can still side load stuff.

Replaceable batteries are superior, cope

Yes, they are. Glad you're finally on board the "batteries beat wires" train. Choo choo.

replaceable batteries, dumbass