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Android updates are getting slower and slower, despite Google's best efforts

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Re: Android updates are getting slower and slower, despite Google's best efforts

#81

Post by hopler »

Aaargh20318 wrote: post #7
inetknght wrote: post #2

Update adoption is getting slower because people (or perhaps just me) are frustrated with updates removing/changing functionality, making the device slower, or causing additional bugs beyond whatever was "fixed". That's on top of the fact that my carrier refuses to stay on top of updates for my device anyway.

> the fact that my carrier refuses to stay on top of updates for my device anyway. I don't get why the carrier has to be involved at all. It has nothing to do with them at all so why do they even get a say in when a phone gets an update ?

Carrier is involved only if the carrier "manufactured" and sold you the device. Your choice.

This is why Android moved as much as possible to the core Google Play services app instead of the OS.

Re: Android updates are getting slower and slower, despite Google's best efforts

#82

Post by avtar »

moron4hire wrote: post #69
setpatchaddress wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Downside of updating support libraries independently is that it balloons the QA matrix and makes integration bugs inevitable. The iOS approach means the entire OS is properly tested as an entire entity.

I would think two of the richest companies in the world could figure out how to manage that sort of complexity. Maybe they need to poach a few people from Microsoft to learn how it's done.

> Maybe they need to poach a few people from Microsoft to learn how it's done.

It seems Microsoft needs some help in this department as well https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/4500988/windows-upd...

Re: Android updates are getting slower and slower, despite Google's best efforts

#83

Post by hopler »

maaaats wrote: post #3

> Android devices aren’t kept up to date, leaving their users unable to benefit from advancements in the platform. What advancements? Both iOS and Android have for a few years reached maturity, not much exciting with each new update. At least not without new hardware, as most updates are to support something physical (notch, fingerprints, face scan etc). I used to hate my phone not being updated, so switched to a bra…

Android fixed the totally messed up Battery Saver in O->P

and added Night Light to compensate for breaking Twilight/BlueLight etc.

Re: Android updates are getting slower and slower, despite Google's best efforts

#84

Post by zaarn »

slezyr wrote: post #78
zaarn wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the low end there is Android One, which does take out all the bloatware that slows down most of the low end. It's pretty good in my opinion.

May be you meant Android Go? Android One is full of google's own bloatware.

I guess you've never had the pleasure of all the bloatware that OEM's put into low end phones?

The last samsung phone I bought had 2GB free of 8GB on delivery, almost all of that space being used by their bloat.

Google's own software isn't that heavy in comparison and Android One comes with very little of it, most of which you can still disable.

Re: Android updates are getting slower and slower, despite Google's best efforts

#85

Post by pantalaimon »

cs02rm0 wrote: post #64
barrkel wrote: post #9

Not particularly on topic, but OnePlus is a pretty decent choice if you don't want to pay Pixel prices but get an almost stock experience with reasonably rapid OS updates.

For about two years. Even OnePlus, which is better than most, tails off after that. They've just released a public beta of Pie for the 3T, which hadn't had security updates for the last four months or so.

I'm running Android 9 on my OnePlus One (2014) through LineageOS and it feels smooth as always.

Re: Android updates are getting slower and slower, despite Google's best efforts

#86

Post by __MatrixMan__ »

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #56

Security updates are becoming more dire, but feature updates between versions has been dwindling since the early days. I've had an Android phone continuously since 2011, and while I could detail a laundry list of stuff we got from Gingerbread -> Ice Cream Sandwich or KitKat -> Lollipop, I can't think of many "game changers" from Marshmallow on that made each new update a "must have". Just trying to think of the ones…

> there wasn't much meaningful difference in the experience between my Nexus 7 running Marshmallow and my S8+ phone with the Pie update.

Reading this on a Nexus 5, running marshmallow. I stopped upgrading when I stopped seeing a reason to, now I just get the old models on the cheap and only occasionally wonder if I'm missing out.

In those moments I'll remember your comment, stop wondering, and continue treating my phone like the sub-$200 commodity that it is. Thanks.

Re: Android updates are getting slower and slower, despite Google's best efforts

#87

Post by sbwmk »

cheeze wrote: post #5

The shining example of Google vs apple for me is the package manager. Since Android D, updating my apps has caused the phone to slow to a crawl. Fps drops heavily, apps are laggy, etc. There is no option to only download updates when charging. Google has done nothing about this for years now. I still use Android because I need the control. But parts of the platform are just inexcusable (imo) in 2019. Dont get me wron…

The most retarded thing of app updates is that they happen even if you are using the app. In other words, the app you are using in the foreground can be updated (and therefore killed) at any time.

Re: Android updates are getting slower and slower, despite Google's best efforts

#88

Post by apexalpha »

_coveredInBees wrote: post #58
Anechoic wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

have to hide apps I don't care about in folders iOS lets you delete most 1st party apps: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208094

I think you and all the replies to the parent have missed the point trying to be made. If you view the homescreens in iOS as your desktop, you don't want all your apps littering it with shortcuts. The op is talking about having to setup folders to hide away apps that they use rarely but don't want to uninstall. Android handles this in a far better way, where you have an app drawer that pulls up all your app icons on…

What stops you from putting everything in a folder called App drawer, except the most used apps you want on your desktop?

Re: Android updates are getting slower and slower, despite Google's best efforts

#89

Post by oblio »

avtar wrote: post #82
moron4hire wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would think two of the richest companies in the world could figure out how to manage that sort of complexity. Maybe they need to poach a few people from Microsoft to learn how it's done.

> Maybe they need to poach a few people from Microsoft to learn how it's done. It seems Microsoft needs some help in this department as well https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/4500988/windows-upd...

So you're telling me an OS with 1.2+ billion users has bugs? I'm shocked! :)

On a more serious note, Microsoft is (was?) famous for its QA processes. They have (had?) huge computer farms, tens of thousands of machine to be able to QA with every strange configuration out there. Windows, despite the hate it gets, is one of the most QAd pieces of software out there.

And considering the shoddy architecture it has to support for backwards compatibility (CP/M, MS-DOS, Win32), it works amazingly well.

Re: Android updates are getting slower and slower, despite Google's best efforts

#90

Post by RugnirViking »

untog wrote: post #46
RugnirViking wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

? Security on even older phones is so good most non-tech oriented people think that phone viruses are a myth

That's not really true. There are regular browser vulnerabilities, for example.

I don't doubt that there are many vulnerabilities. However, public perception so far is that it doesn't matter, as little in terms of major viruses have actually happened.
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