208
Android: sideloading blocked and open source updates withheld to twice a year (www.youtube.com)
submitted 8 months ago by to c/technology@beehaw.org
41 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Google moves to lock down the Android operating system, effectively stealing features away from millions of existing users.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 27 points 8 months ago (10 children)

I've moved from Android to CyanogenMod, then Lineage OS, and now Graphene OS. I have zero interest in a proprietary, locked down platform.

If they really want me to use a Linux tablet, I will.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 10 child comments
    •
  • [–] [S] 13 points 8 months ago (3 children)

    The sad part is that LineageOS, GrapheneOS and basically all Android alternative OS are built on top of the AOSP, which Google controls, and they're staling updates to twice a year. These stalled updates may include critical security patches or device compatibility support.

    Furthermore many android devices prevent users from entering a boot state which lets the owner install the OS of their choice, making everything more complicated.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] 13 points 8 months ago (1 child)

    Absolutely, Google can kill off Android by making it a walled garden, like iOS, but worse. We'll see what the Motorola GOS device will be like.

    I can definitely go back to tethered Linux WiFi tablet. Maybe something chinese, based on RISCV.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 7 points 8 months ago*

    Neither lineage nor graphene are an option. Google still control the platform.

    We need a law that forces Google to open the platform for competition. I hope for EU to come swinging and slapping Google silly very soon.

    Or hope for Chinese to come up with Linux hardware we can just use.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 3 points 8 months ago (3 children)

    I'd love to put Lineage or Graphene on my phone, but neither one supports it. I think these OS fall prey to the "losing the hardware lottery" problem that Linux has, a term coined by @mcc@mastodon.social. So imagine a world where we do get Linux on a phone, how easy it would be to lose that lottery.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] 5 points 8 months ago (2 children)

    I have never lost the hardware lottery, by virtue of not playing it. I buy my hardware to support the OS I run, not the other way round.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 4 points 8 months ago* (1 child)

    A little holier than thou don't you think? Like I've got existing hardware and I'm leaving Windows. If (for example) Bazzite doesn't work on my hardware, you think I should go out and buy brand new hardware to run Bazzite? Or maybe find some way to extend the lifetime of the hardware I have?

    I mean you even admit yourself that you moved from one Android OS to another. You bought a new phone every time you went from Cyano to Lineage to Graphene?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] 6 points 8 months ago

    I'm assuming people are buying a new system. If you have legacy hardware, that's a crapshoot. If you're a gamer and are moving to Linux that can become difficult, due to your special requirements. Good luck with your migration.

    I am buying new hardware when the old one breaks or becomes unusable. My LOS Poco X3 Pro from end 2021 has a bad case of ghost touch, so I bought a new Pixel 7a end 2024 for GOS. My LOS Galaxy Tab S5e from mid-2022 refurbished is somehat usable, but my main driver since mid-2025 is a Pixel tablet with GOS.

    These are reasonably long lifecycles, and I try to buy refurbished when possible.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent