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Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

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Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#51

Post by yjftsjthsd-h »

bboygravity wrote: post #27
tinytuna wrote: post #2

Why not simply installing lineageos or AOSP instead?

Because it is a lot of work, not all phones support/allow rooting, you need to hide root for apps manually for them to work and there's no way to take full backups on Android phone, rooted or not (adb backup is deprecated and never actually worked at all anyway). Meaning: every time you screw up (or get a new phone) you have to start all over, without the ability to restore a backup. This can easily take many days wo…

If you don't want root, then don't root it; that's separate from replacing the ROM.

> there's no way to take full backups on Android phone, rooted or not

Er, no? On the contrary, root is exactly how you get full backups on Android - with, I grant, the exception of whatever Android calls their secure element / TPM, which I've only ever seen affect 2FA apps.

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#53

Post by 2-718-281-828 »

deng wrote: post #39

I always get a used phone (2-3 years old) that is officially supported by LineageOS. I've made good experiences with Motorola Moto G phones. A good alternative are Pixels or OnePlus. My current phone is a Motorola Moto G6 Plus, which was released in 2018, now running LineageOS 20 (Android 13) just fine.

same here. second hand phones. usually oneplus. totally happy with lineage on them.

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#54

Post by lxn »

jillesvangurp wrote: post #19

The short answer is no. There is the Google Pixel. But it has limited updates and proprietary software for things like the camera. That camera is really nice though and it's as close as the Android experience Google intended to ship because this basically is Google's version of Android. I have the Pixel 6 and it's fine. Nokia stays close to that but ships their own camera app. It too has limited updates that run out…

I agree with everything you said about Fairphone, but their software support is decent when it comes for security updates (major Android versions upgrades are not guaranteed). They offer 5 years which is way better than average.

Their track record is also good I would say. Fairphone 2 started with Android 5 and it currently offered Android 10 upgrade.

https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/997918043739...

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#55

Post by iExploder »

dainiusse wrote: post #49
iExploder wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

some people dont mind a tiny bit of bulk, some people dont mind kids mining cobalt barehanded and getting cancer in the process

This is no argument. Both of them have batteries and both pose the same risks.

This is no argument. Both cats and lions have legs and both pose the same risk.

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#56

Post by wiseowise »

Daegalus wrote: post #10

The Pixel is the closest. The reason you don't see long term support on Android is because of Qualcomm. Qualcomm wants manufacturers to build on new chips, so they deprecate older chips and stop support. Most manufacturers don't want to hire kernel and hardware devs. Samsung can pull off longer support because of Exynos and they have a lot of inhouse expertise to extend support on old Qualcomm chips. It's all money.…

> Apple can do it because they lock you into their walled garden where they can double and triple dip on getting your money.

Funny way to spell “provide quality service compared to competitors”.

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#57

Post by wiseowise »

spondylosaurus wrote: post #31
sphars wrote: post #5

Honestly, the Pixel phones are probably the best compromise between your requirements. While Samsung gets slightly longer support, the bloatware, IMO, is just too much (depends on your definition of bloatware though). Plus the Pixels are first for latest Android and are generally well-supported with third-party ROMs (Lineage, Graphene, AOSP, etc). So my suggestion is the Pixels, (the "a" series for a less expensive c…

This may just be the Stockholm Syndrome talking as a longtime Samsung Galaxy user, but I've found it relatively easy to disable most of Samsung's bloatware (and to simply ignore whatever I can't disable). Nova Launcher + Gboard + re-mapping the Bixby button makes a huge difference right off the bat.

Imagine how much more bloatware and spyware is there that’s not user facing feature.

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#58

Post by Zambyte »

wiseowise wrote: post #56
Daegalus wrote: post #10

The Pixel is the closest. The reason you don't see long term support on Android is because of Qualcomm. Qualcomm wants manufacturers to build on new chips, so they deprecate older chips and stop support. Most manufacturers don't want to hire kernel and hardware devs. Samsung can pull off longer support because of Exynos and they have a lot of inhouse expertise to extend support on old Qualcomm chips. It's all money.…

> Apple can do it because they lock you into their walled garden where they can double and triple dip on getting your money. Funny way to spell “provide quality service compared to competitors”.

What service do they provide you?

Re: Ask HN: Stock Android phone free of bloatware?

#59

Post by Timwi »

troupo wrote: post #32
Daegalus wrote: post #10

The Pixel is the closest. The reason you don't see long term support on Android is because of Qualcomm. Qualcomm wants manufacturers to build on new chips, so they deprecate older chips and stop support. Most manufacturers don't want to hire kernel and hardware devs. Samsung can pull off longer support because of Exynos and they have a lot of inhouse expertise to extend support on old Qualcomm chips. It's all money.…

> Apple can do it because they lock you into their walled garden where they can double and triple dip on getting your money. What does this even mean? If you're so concerned about not paying for anything, all you need is buy the phone from Apple. You don't have to pay for anything else. The reason Apple can support their phones for longer is because they control most of the stack: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/…

> You don't have to pay for anything else.

Is there an iOS equivalent to F-Droid?

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