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Poll: Which abandoned Android phone features do you miss the most? (www.androidauthority.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/android@lemdro.id
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[–] 196 points 1 year ago (18 children)

Open bootloaders, ir blaster, 3.5mm jack, sd card slot, replaceable batteries. The list goes on.

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  • [–] 57 points 1 year ago (9 children)

    Don't forget the notification light.

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  • [–] 13 points 1 year ago

    The most bullshit thing ever. I have a Moto 5g Ace, I was sad it didn't have a light, used it for a couple years before putting LineageOS on it. Low and behold it actually has a notification light that was disabled in the stock ROM! WTF

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  • [+] 8 points 1 year ago (3 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Yeah, and unless it's only activating a few pixels at a time it's not the same.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    The notification light for me was never all that useful, i have unique ringtones for everything but i do agree they are an awesome feature for folks in spaces where their phones need to be quiet

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  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I liked them, if not just because there's no reason not to have it. It was always subtle and functional.

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  • [+] -7 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Is any of that an android feature? It's mostly hardware, I think you can still get devices that have some combination of those (maybe not the IR blaser).

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    • [–] 87 points 1 year ago (16 children)

    The physical fingerprint reader on the back of the phone.

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  • [–] 13 points 1 year ago (10 children)

    Curiously, why on the back?

    I always found that a worse location than phones that had it on the side (usually paired with the power button), as you can't unlock your phone if it's lying flat on a table without picking it up.

    (Also the way I typically hold my phone, the usually top centre sensor is absolutely nowhere near where any of my fingers naturally sit, and requires awkward bending to reach it)

    I know a lot of people like it, but I've never been able to figure out what it was about it.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    I do not like the power button fingerprint reader.

    • Cases need a notch to expose the power button.
    • Can't use the power button to lock the screen while fingerprint unlock is enabled, because it immediately unlocks itself with the fingerprint.
    • Accidentally unlocks itself way often when putting it in my pocket than with the back reader.
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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    The 2nd and even 3rd point is not automatically true for every phone and setting. I have a combined fingerprint reader and power button on my Fairphone 5, and the 2nd thing has always worked just fine.

    It also has the option to only enable the fingerprint reader if the display is on, which addresses your 3rd point completely. It means you can pick the phone up, including having a finger in the reader, and it won't turn on or unlock. You need to press down in the button to trigger the screen, then it can be unlocked. That also means that when locking it and turning off the screen actively by pressing the power button with the phone on, it never re-unlocks. To be honest this part wasn't a problem before the setting became available, as the locking would disable the fingerprint reader anyway, but letting your grip go slightly could trigger re-unlock.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    Only activating the fingerprint reader when the screen is on is a regression compared to the rear reader. It means I need to squeeze the phone to unlock it, vs just placing my finger in the right spot. It also negates the purported advantage from the comment above mine about being able to easily unlock the phone while lying on a table.

    I'm not arguing that the power button reader doesn't work for anyone. I'm saying that it is qualitatively worse UX for me in particular.

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  • [+] -6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Cases need a notch to expose the power button

    I don't see why that's a problem.

    Can't use the power button to lock the screen while fingerprint unlock is enabled, because it immediately unlocks itself with the fingerprint.

    Sounds like you just had a shitty phone, that shouldn't happen.

    Accidentally unlocks itself way often when putting it in my pocket than with the back reader.

    Again, shitty phone. You're supposed to actually push the button to unlock it. Don't understand why your finger would be on the back of the phone when putting it in your pocket anyway.

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  • [+] -15 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Lots of android phones have a physical fingerprint reader

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  • [–] 19 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    on the back of the phone.

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  • [+] -9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    On the side isn't good enough?

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Their preference was the back. So no.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago

    To me it sounded like the main distinction they were trying to make was a dedicated fingerprint reader button rather than an in-screen finger print reader. This is a common preference because the hardware scanner you can activate by touch without working about proper placement, whereas the in-screen readers you have to look at the screen and carefully put your finger just in the on-screen circle showing where you have to precisely place your finger

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    • [–] 62 points 1 year ago* (5 children)

    I just want the LG G5 back. It had a(n):

    • Removable battery
    • SD card slot
    • Infrared blaster
    • FM Radio
    • 3.5mm jack
    • Compass
    • Barometer
    • Gyro
    • NFC
    • Fingerprint reader

    And a ton of other stuff. Truly the best android phone ever made

    Closest I can find now is the Ulefone line (no removable battery) but I have no idea if they're decent phones or not.

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    • [+] 50 points 1 year ago (22 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 13 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    I miss just being able to take it out and have no phone for however long I want. Didn't drain the battery, didn't worry about the phone.

    It does compromise the waterproofing to open and close phones, even cases. But fuck you, let me make my own mistakes, your job is to engineer things to be better and fit my needs, not just give up and charge more and strip features and invade my privacy and spy on me with psyops and try to control my life. I'm a customer, not a user.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (19 children)

    It's because the U.S. Government can make it seem as if your phone is powered down, but it's actually still on and spying on you, sending data to whatever alphabet agency wants it. Removing the battery is the only defense against that attack, so they 'encouraged' manufacturers to stop allowing it.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago* (18 children)

    Sounds like a dumb conspiracy. Especially since Fairphone sells in the US.

    More likely is that manufacturers want to make more money so they make their phones more difficult to repair so customers have to pay them to get a battery replaced.

    I blame Apple

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (17 children)

    You can believe what you want. I didn't hear it from a conspiracy theorist, I heard it from Edward Snowden, and this was actually old news when he mentioned it, but his revelation on national TV made it even more widely known. "Coincidentally" it was right around the time Snowden blew the whistle that Android manufacturers started switching over to non-replaceable batteries.

    Yes Apple are greedy fucks and it's obvious that forcing iPhone users to get their phones repaired by a 'genius' was a part of their strategy from the beginning. But Android manufacturers who didn't have a repair store they could force their users to use and wouldn't benefit from that were happy to continue letting users replace their own batteries, because it was a legitimate benefit for the consumer and way to differentiate themselves from Apple.

    I'm sure that phone manufactures save a few pennies by forcing users to either buy a new phone or pay an expensive repair bill, but I'm pretty sure that isn't the only reason it's done.

    Edit: Even if you ignore their ability to wiretap you when your phone is 'powered off', the fact remains that the government can and does track you by you cell phone and removing the battery is a great way to stop that.

    Of course, it's not the only way- If you feel like you don't want to be tracked for any reason a Faraday bag is a decent option. It makes your phone less useful, but so would removing the battery.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago* (16 children)

    Non replaceable batteries benefit android manufacturers as it simplifies manufacturing. And they dont care about repairs post warranty... thats just incentive to buy another one. You dont need a grand conspiracy to explain that.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (15 children)

    Non replaceable batteries benefit android manufacturers as it simplifies manufacturing. And they dont care about repairs post warranty… thats just incentive to buy another one.

    That was true from 2006-2016 as well, but most Android manufacturers still offered user replaceable batteries. If you believe that there is no correlation- that's fine. I don't buy it though, the timing is just too perfect for it to be a coincidence.

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  • [–] -2 points 1 year ago (14 children)

    You know its a really easy to prove against, right? Just have some basic radio spectrograph to detect any signals coming from a turned off phone.

    In reality, the correlation is phones continue to get thinner, making it near impossible to create a battery and battery connector small enough and still be resistant to a 200lb ape handling it.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (13 children)

    You know its a really easy to prove against, right?

    Why would I need to prove it? You didn't read any of the articles I linked to did you? The fact that they have the ability to do this is not even a question. The government admitted that it was able to do this all the way back in 2006.

    Just have some basic radio spectrograph to detect any signals coming from a turned off phone.

    The claim isn't that the FBI/NSA/CIA/ICE whoever is doing this constantly to everybody, it's that they have the capability to do this to anybody, which again isn't even a question. I'm not really worried about being spied on personally (yet) and even if I were I'd just leave my phone at home or put it in a Faraday bag, I'm not going to carry around a 'basic radio spectrograph' and whip it out every time I want to have a private conversation.

    In reality, the correlation is phones continue to get thinner

    Lol, that's like saying I lost weight because I bought smaller pants. Yeah, designers are able to make phones thinner when they are able to design around non-replaceable batteries. Was anyone asking for thinner phones? They had the ability to make thinner phones by disallowing replaceable batteries for a decade and did not.

    Were consumers demanding that phone manufactures make phones worse by removing useful features like replaceable batteries or headphone jacks- or was these anti-features foisted upon us?

    If it had been just some manufactures that switched, or if those manufacturers that did switch had offered the option of different models, some with replaceable batteries and some without, and then consumers chose the worse phones- I might not be as convinced.

    As it is now with 99.9% of all phones you can buy not even giving you the option, I'm not buying it.

    It's not like this is some crazy off the wall theory. I'm not saying the Earth is flat or we didn't land on the moon. We know that the government is using our cell phones to track us, we know they have the capabilities to do so. The only question is did governments (I guarantee it's not just the U.S) make deals with/ask/or put pressure on manufactures to incentivize the switch. That's not really far fetched at all.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago (12 children)

    Was anyone asking for thinner phones? They had the ability to make thinner phones by disallowing replaceable batteries for a decade and did not.

    A. They did not have the ability because doing so would reduced battery capacity because the tech is battery still maturing.

    B. Apparently people are asking because people are still buying. Just because me and you arent asking doesnt mean the greater market isnt.

    As it is now with 99.9% of all phones you can buy not even giving you the option, I'm not buying it.

    A. That would mean the entire world is in on the conspiracy.

    B. I cant buy a small truck in america. Does that mean there is a grand conspiracy?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (11 children)

    A. They did not have the ability because doing so would reduced battery capacity because the tech is battery still maturing.

    That makes zero sense. How the phone is connected to the battery has no bearing on capacity.

    B. Apparently people are asking because people are still buying. Just because me and you arent asking doesnt mean the greater market isnt.

    That's silly. They removed the ability, they didn't give people a choice. No one was asking, no one chose this.

    A. That would mean the entire world is in on the conspiracy.

    How would it mean that? The U.S. is a Huge market, China is a huge market It would only take one or two. Plus countries all around the world spy on their own citizens, so it 'benefits' their governments even if they weren't directly responsible. Did you know that in the U.S. Texas makes all of our school textbooks worse because it's easier just to print the stupid textbooks than print separate ones for just Texas because Texas is such a big market. This is not a conspiracy theory, you can look it up if you are interested.

    B. I cant buy a small truck in america.

    You can buy small trucks in America. What are you talking about?

    Does that mean there is a grand conspiracy?

    You are the one that keeps calling this a 'grand conspiracy'. There are only a handful of phone manufactures, it wouldn't be that difficult to get them all to agree to something, especially if they were rewarded in some way for it. Corporations only care about money.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago (10 children)

    thinner phone requires a smaller battery. Smaller battery is smaller capacity.

    That's silly. They removed the ability, they didn't give people a choice. No one was asking, no one chose this.

    Noone asked for phones to copy the iphone... yet here we are.

    Did you know that in the U.S. Texas makes all of our school textbooks worse because it's easier just to print the stupid textbooks than print separate ones for just Texas because Texas is such a big market. This is not a conspiracy theory, you can look it up if you are interested.

    So close to getting it... smh

    You can buy small trucks in America. What are you talking about?

    You can? Show one new model that is the same size of a 1990 ford ranger.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (9 children)

    thinner phone requires a smaller battery. Smaller battery is smaller capacity.

    Yes, smaller batteries of the same type generally have lower capacity. Very good. That's not what we were talking about though is it? YOU said that having a non-replaceable battery allowed them to make phones thinner. That is what they had the ability to do for the decade that they were still making phones with replaceable batteries.

    Noone asked for phones to copy the iphone

    Peter Noone, from Hermans Hermits? Fun trivia. You know who else asked for it, everyone else.

    So close to getting it…

    Oh, you think you are close to getting it? Well maybe I can help you the rest of the way. If School Text Book manufacturers who were forced to come up with a dumber version of their product to fit the requirements of one large market found it was cheaper just to sell everyone the dumb version instead of making two different versions, it follows that Phone Manufacturers would likewise find it cheaper to sell the dumber version of phones to everyone if one large market required them to make phones dumber. Do you get it now? I can try to dumb it down even more for you if you need me to.

    Show one new model that is the same size of a 1990 ford ranger.

    The still sell Ford Rangers I'm pretty sure. I'm going to let you do your own Truck shopping.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago* (8 children)

    I said smaller battery and connecters allowed for thinner phones.

    And mass production is cheaper than low production. So if all phones are designed the same, then the factories can be tooled all the same accross all models.

    People actually did like the form factor and function of iPhones, false equivalency much?

    So why are you confused manufacturers are copying Apple?

    I'm not going to do your Truck shopping for you. If you can't figure that out on your own, ask your parents.

    But you said they exist... it should be easy. Unless... you were talking out of your ass again.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (7 children)

    I said smaller battery and connecters allowed for thinner phones.

    Just making the batteries non replaceable makes them able to be thinner, and they always had that ability. They also had the ability to put in smaller batteries if everyone was clamoring for super thin phones. They just weren't.

    And mass production is cheaper than low production.

    True

    So if all phones are designed the same, then the factories can be tooled all the same accross all models.

    Uh, no. That would only be true if all models of phone from the same factory were made exactly the same way with the exact same machines. That's not the case. They make different models of phone. They could easily make one model with a user replaceable battery and a different model without one.

    But you said they exist… it should be easy. Unless… you were talking out of your ass again.

    They do exist, and it was super easy. They still make Ford Rangers. Try google, it's the first thing that pops up when you type in New Ford Ranger. I guess you were talking out your ass again.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago* (6 children)

    The new ranger is just a tiny bit smaller than the f150 It absolutely is not the same or even close to the size of ranger 20 years ago.

    The closest in size "truck" to the old ranger is the maverick... but thats a unibody UTE, hardly comparable.

    Uh, no. That would only be true if all models of phone from the same factory were made exactly the same way with the exact same machines. That's not the case. They make different models of phone. They could easily make one model with a user replaceable battery and a different model without one.

    Sure... if there was enough demand for replaceable batteries... but there is not. Basically the vast market is content with the cheaper option.

    That's a BINGO! So if that's true, then they absolutely had the ability to do that for the first decade of smart phones.

    Again... smaller battery smaller capacity... a battery of the same physical size 15 years ago was much less enegry dense.

    Its ok. You can be wrong. Just learn from the experience.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (5 children)

    The new ranger is just a tiny bit smaller than the f150 It absolutely is not the same or even close to the size of ranger 20 years ago.

    You said you couldn't buy a small truck, not that you couldn't buy a truck the same size as 20 years ago.

    Sure… if there was enough demand for replaceable batteries… but there is not. Basically the vast market is content with the cheaper option.

    There was a demand, we weren't given a choice. I'm not sure how this so hard for you to grasp.

    Again… smaller battery smaller capacity…

    Again...Just making the batteries non replaceable makes them able to be thinner, and they always had that ability. They also had the ability to put in smaller batteries if everyone was clamoring for super thin phones. They just weren’t.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago* (4 children)

    You said you couldn't buy a small truck, not that you couldn't buy a truck the same size as 20 years ago.

    A. I clarified to find me one of the same size as a 1990 model.

    B. Isnt this exactly the same argument your making? There is huge demand for small trucks, the ranger was a top seller when it was discontinued. And when it was brought back, its a slightly smaller version of the f150, and nothing what people want.

    They also had the ability to put in smaller batteries if everyone was clamoring for super thin phones. They just weren’t.

    You really are that dense. The battery tech was not there to allow thinner phones without compromising capacity. The strongest market desirablity is battery life. But people also want smaller phones. Hell, futurama made this joke in 2001

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

    A. I clarified to find me one of the same size as a 1990 model.

    Good for you.

    B. Isnt this exactly the same argument your making?

    No, you don't carry Ford Rangers around in your pocket all the time making them easy vectors to spy on people.

    The bagtery tech was not there to allow thinner phones without comprismising capacity.

    And if people really gave a fuck about thinner phones they would have accepted smaller "bagtery's" to get them. Clearly capacity was more important. So I guess people weren't chomping at the bit to get thinner phones now were they?

    But people also want smaller phones.

    Phones have been getting bigger not smaller.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Phones have been getting bigger not smaller.

    To... wait for it... accommodate larger screens. Shocking i know. You know exactly what i meant by smaller.

    No, you don't carry Ford Rangers around in your pocket all the time making them easy vectors to spy on people

    Riddle me this. Why would you carry a phone....without a battery?

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    • [–] 49 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    I liked the little led light at the top that would blink for notification

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    • [–] 49 points 1 year ago (1 child)
    • Headphone jack.
    • Removable batteries.
    • Sidekick/Palmtop form factor with the full width keyboard.
    • MicroSD Card slot, and OS support for executing software and accessing data on the card.
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    • [–] 46 points 1 year ago (11 children)

    The smaller size phones (I hate these Phablets,) 3.5mm jack and back finger print reader, (although my Pixel 4a5G has them, it will be the last,) replaceable batteries, and selfie camera that doesn't take up screen real estate.

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  • [+] 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (4 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    I'm always shocked at how big the Nintendo switch was, and yet had such a small screen. I remember the first time I wondered, and held my galaxy s9 plus up to the screen and was like "holy shit it's the same size - how is the switch so much bigger and looks so much worse?"

    That being said, I do support the idea of multiple sizes of phones for people that want different things. Let there be iPhone 1 or 2 size phones for people that want something convenient and small, and give me a 10 incher because I like that and need it in my life :) Also, well-balanced, front-facing stereo speakers for fucks sake. Stop doing this weird one-forwards one-out stuff, Samsung, it sounds like shit.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    https://www.unihertz.com/

    I don't work for them, I just happen to like the idea that there is a phone company making smaller sized phones, phone with physical keyboards, etc.

    IB4 the comments complaining about android versions and such. Yes, I get it. Some of them are still running android 11, yes that is a security risk. Could be though that the people that want a small form factor phone also don't want to do banking or other financially related things on it as well.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I feel like the two groups of people that just want to make phonecalls and texts, but who also just want a small phone, have a lot of overlap.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    They are most likely a circle lol.

    I've have Samsung phones for a long time, and I've come to accept that I suck at typing with a virtual keyboard. So I think my next phone will be a Titan 2, or hopefully a Titan 2 slim since the 2 seems to be pretty big.

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  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    Pixel 5 has a back fingerprint reader. Think it's the last Pixel with it.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    I miss that.

    My 5 died randomly one day. The 9 under screen sensor works nice, heard the 6-8? light sensors were bad.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    What's wrong with the light sensor?

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago* (2 children)

    It's the under-screen fingerprint sensor. It's kind of flaky, and it shines the sensor area of the screen at what's gotta be greater than normal max screen brightness. It's blinding at night.

    It's also much less reliable than the back reader in my old pixel 2, though it's gotten better with software updates. It was barely functional when the 6 first came out.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    Phablets, lmao. You invoke the ancient magicks.

    I'm so far on the opposite side on this one though - I always have preferred large screen devices and today, I ADORE my folding pocket tablet most of all. 😍

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    [+] 39 points 1 year ago (6 children)
    [deleted]
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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    killed PokΓ©mon Go

    I run CalyxOS and I tried again recently and it DOES work

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    • [–] 38 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Unimpeded root. You can still get it on maybe a handful of phones but apps are getting harder and harder to run with it enabled.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 year ago

    It's sad how root is still required on many phones to reach full functionality, yet they makes you jump through hoops to get it.

    On my phone I needed root to set a battery charge limit. The rom I'm using only added that functionality natively a few years ago. I still need root to make backups ever since google kneecapped ADB backup. Seriously, do they just expect people to not make backups of the device they use every day!?

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    • [–] 37 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    no headphone jack is shitty but god i fucking loathe typing on a touchscreen keyboard

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    They keep getting worse, too. I loved my Galaxy Relay. I bought a Moto Z because someone was making a keyboard backplate for it... And they killed off the project a few months later.

    The only thing worse than the on screen keyboard is Blackberry's physical keyboard. Give me some kind of slider.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    My first Android phone was Motorola Dext, second one was HTC Desire Z, which I held on to for a long time. By the time I had to replace it, there were no slide-out keyboard phones any more.
    Then some time later F(x)tek X1 Pro was released. Looked like a perfect phone for me, but was too expensive, so I did not get it. But now that it's time is over as well, I look at the reviews and see that I did not miss much.
    So now I am sadly on a glassy rectangle like everyone else, but I do carry a collapsable bluetooth keyboard around with me sometimes, so that I can still type some longer text in a proper way.

    Also, I solved my no-headphone-jack issue by getting USB-C headphones. And there are USB-C to 3.5 jack adapters if you need to connect existing headphones or other equipment. So I don't really get how this "I miss a hole" is everywhere and lasts for so long.

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