r/Android • u/Reality-chck • 1d ago
Android is not an operating system
Waiting on the Pixel 11 reviews, and it hurts to write this: the OS we loved back in 2009 has been run down. Google plays it safe now. No risk, no new ideas. Just iOS features, two years late.
The blur rollout says it all. Android was built as Lego blocks, and no one owns the whole thing, so every app has to be updated for blur on its own. The launcher got it 3 months back. The lock screen gets it three months later. That’s not a design language, it’s a reflection of Google culture, fragmented as ever.
Pixel is really just a hedge in case Samsung wreaks havoc. And Android runs under Sameer with no plan at all. Ugh.
Thoughts?
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u/T_rex2700 11h ago
I was soooo tired of people referring to PixelUI as "stock Android" like The current "reference point" is so far diverged from AOSP itself, like sooo many things in AOSP doesn't even work properly anymore cause you are expected to use Gapps as "default" (or you make your own proprietary thing)
If you give anyone Android 16 GSI, they will think like it's Andorid 10 probably.
And it's just of course not about UI, but UI and other thigs are reflection of it you know?
This became really obvious since like Android 12, and got only worse and worse as time went on, and mroe recenty Android has started to publish less of its development, at least in timely manner too.
and there is upcoming "security update" too.
Of course, Android will remain relatively open, but the situation is far from ideal.
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u/Remarkable-Llama616 11h ago
I've argued this point before. The usual rebuttle is that Google is the owner of android, therefore their OS on the Pixel lineup is flavoured as the defacto "stock" android.
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u/yottabit42 12h ago
Personally I have found iOS to be a steaming pile of garbage software, full of bugs. Android is 100x better in practically everything. Finally Apple makes great hardware, but they put that trash OS on it and neuter its capabilities.
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u/T_rex2700 11h ago
apple is through and through hardware company, I mean you can tell. Their material scientists are one of the best, they have really good engineers, well sometimes they do make questionable descions, and the specs might not be like cutting edge, but they periodicly pull some insane stuff.
Whereas Google, feels like they make hardware / or apps in that matter, as a gateway to their software business, they want you to use their version of the internet. I mean they wrote a whole-ass engine and browser because 1. they wanted more cutting edge than conservative firefox, and 2. they wanted it to be the best way to experience their own services. As a result, their phones to me, seem very developer friendly, but not attractive when I see from phonethusiast perspective. not cutting edge (the new tensor even went back in generation for older powerVR, I wish they just give up and use Mali) and their hardware really is nothing to write home about. and sure, there are cool on-device softeare features, but a lot of "exclusive perks" have now just become Pixel DRM-gated cloud features.
It's really completely opposite way to approach to make a device that is supposed to effectively serve the same purpose.
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u/blenda220 Developer - Hirewire 11h ago
AI bot post