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With the release of Android 14, which is slowly making its way to more devices, it seems like a good time for a community discussion on the direction of Android development.
Discussion Questions:
- What do you think about this latest release?
- Do you think things are going in the right direction?
- Is there anything you'd like to see prioritized in future releases?
- Which device are you on?
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In my opinion, no. At least not under the reins of Google.
Android 11 added scoped storage, severely limiting file access from apps, although app developers have found ways to work with it.
Android 12 did a lot of UI redesigning, including the horrible Internet toggle and it just seemed like there is way too much whitespace.
Android 13 did something right: Made you confirm if you want notifications from apps. IDK why it took this long for such a basic feature even iOS had for forever.
Android 14... Nothing really useful, but they are limiting sideloading of old apps that tend to be super efficient on storage, memory, and CPU. It's a defeat in the ongoing war between Google and sideloading. They also are trying to force the volume down when it's too high for too long, even when it's paired with a Bluetooth device at low volume, another braindead move with possibly good intentions but terrible execution.
With other OEMs (Samsung, BBK, Xiaomi, etc), they still sometimes add useful stuff, but I have a Motorola, so I don't have much of an opinion on the extra stuff.
Google is saving their actually innovative and useful features for the Pixel line of phones. Many of these features are really software that Google arbitrarily locks to the Pixel.
And many of the Google stuff has just been getting worse and worse, they've been getting more and more pushy on me when I do something they don't like (disable location, for example). Google likes the idea of trying to make Android more like iOS and restrict user freedom. This is why Android market share is declining in the US: If you want iOS, buy an iPhone.
I can't decide if I agree or disagree with you, but perhaps readers and yourself would enjoy some added discussion through a shared love of Android and wanting to see Android succeed.
Scoped Storage is perhaps the best change in Android 11. This was the end of applications polluting your file system with junk that doesn't get removed when you uninstall an app. There's also a privacy issue with applications unintentionally exposing data to any other application that might try to access it. In my experience as a developer, you have to force developers to comply with good security policy or else it's seen as a cost center to be avoided rather than a feature. For apps that can't work with scope storage, Google provided an escape hatch through all files access, but they only allow applications to request to this permission in specific cases.
The Android 12 internet toggle makes me feel stupid. I understand the difference between different methods of connecting to the internet. It feels like extra taps for no reason for all but the lowest common denominator of users. Let's strive for greatness and not sufficiency.
Android 14 sideloading restrictions are necessary from a security and privacy perspective. A lot of compatibility work goes on to enable old applications to work, and this often involves bypassing checks in the interest of not breaking things. I believe this intended to address malware in developing markets where alternate app stores are used. Even so, I don't agree that Google should make this mandatory. A sufficiently scary warning message about potential malware would be a more reasonable first step, perhaps with a countdown timer to encourage users to actually read before bypass.
The Pixel line of phones is seeing increasing success. I understand the company focusing on products that make money. Google has a complicated relationship with vendors by being both collaborator and competitor at the same time.
Yesterday, I was trying to simply automate turning on/off Wifi via Tasker at a set time. Turned out Google has removed API access for this pre Android 12 only and can't be done. If Google wants to be make an IOS clone, then it is doing very wrong, IMO.
In android 14, they still allow sideloading via stuff like F Droid or apk's downloaded from internet? Or does the user has to confirm a prompt everytime? At the rate Google is restricting stuff, maybe some years down the line, the only way to sideload apps would be via adb.
They still allow sideloading through F droid and the like, as long as the app is specifically made for a newer Android version. There is a prompt to confirm (as with the Google Play Store), but this is good because it makes the user aware that they are installing an app.