Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign

blog.google

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 144 posts

Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign

#101

Post by Kivern7 »

Grimblewald wrote: post #94
ndneighbor wrote: post #9

The number one issue I have with Android is that while this looks cool, because of the fragmentation of the OS delivery between vendors- I have no idea which phone or timeframe when I could see the rollout of Material 3 Expressive. More than 10 years later, shopping for an Android phone with the latest OS is a nightmare. Android leadership keeps on getting shuffled around, Google changes priorities every 6 months it…

My problem was that all the modern Samsung watches have a battery life that wont get you through the day without removing half it's features, and charging solutions that are unreliable. If half the time you want to use the watch it's dead, it stops being a product you place value on or even rely on. I found myself checking time on my phone, despite the watch being on the same hand I'd grab the phone with, because I c…

That's odd. I have a Watch 6 Classic (I think?), it's my first smart watch, I have just about everything enabled, and on the rare occasion that I forget to charge it overnight it still just about gets through the next day too. In that situation, if I know I'll be sitting for a little while I can always top it up using my phone too (which, admittedly, is extremely fussy with charging placement). Initially I had a lot of frustration getting it to wake up to show me the time (rather than that "dark mirror") but I suppose I must have learned how to twist my wrist more recognisably for it now because it's very rare that I have that issue any more. I really like it.

Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign

#102

Post by QuarterReptile »

malfist wrote: post #50
Ajedi32 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you care about always having the latest software with the latest Google features just get a Pixel. 7 years of OS and security updates: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en Google doesn't control what other vendors do; that's the beauty of open source. (You can argue how open Android really is these days but it's still more open than iOS.)

What happens when one of those updates bricks your battery so it only lasts an hour or so off charger?

Hate to say it, but everyone does this. My dad replaced his iPhone back in December when an update killed it. No acknowledgment of the problem from Apple.

Hell, my car has a stupid system that shakes motor mounts apart and burns through ignition coils and spark plugs. Honda won't admit fault because, among other things, it was a fuel-saving boondoggle and they won't back down from lying to customers if it means stepping into the path of an oncoming EPA train.

Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign

#103

Post by _mlbt »

Grimblewald wrote: post #94
ndneighbor wrote: post #9

The number one issue I have with Android is that while this looks cool, because of the fragmentation of the OS delivery between vendors- I have no idea which phone or timeframe when I could see the rollout of Material 3 Expressive. More than 10 years later, shopping for an Android phone with the latest OS is a nightmare. Android leadership keeps on getting shuffled around, Google changes priorities every 6 months it…

My problem was that all the modern Samsung watches have a battery life that wont get you through the day without removing half it's features, and charging solutions that are unreliable. If half the time you want to use the watch it's dead, it stops being a product you place value on or even rely on. I found myself checking time on my phone, despite the watch being on the same hand I'd grab the phone with, because I c…

Garmin has the best smartwatches if you’re looking for battery life.

Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign

#104

Post by ngangaga »

lawgimenez wrote: post #100
ngangaga wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you think that audio (or bluetooth) doesn't work reliably on ios? Why?

I worked on a couple of Internet of Things projects 5-6 years ago, working on Android was a breeze with BLE, and other IoT protocols. iOS on the other hand, you’re lucky you can get a pairing even. But I’m sure this has been improved today.

Interesting. I don't think I've ever tried to use this.

Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign

#105

Post by microtonal »

aucisson_masque wrote: post #60
Ajedi32 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you care about always having the latest software with the latest Google features just get a Pixel. 7 years of OS and security updates: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4457705?hl=en Google doesn't control what other vendors do; that's the beauty of open source. (You can argue how open Android really is these days but it's still more open than iOS.)

Pixel have other issue, quality control and run on Samsung exynos hardware with bad performance and connectivity. I'd argue that Android is technically more open than iOS but in practice it isn't. Google have dark pattern and elaborated ways to get Android user to stay in the 'walled Google play service garden'. Like when you install a third party store and Google play protect warns you it may be insecure. Or having…

People have been very positive about the Pixel 9's modem. The Tensor G4 is fast enough for most people. Maybe not for heavy gaming, but it's great for all daily use.

Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign

#106

Post by attendant3446 »

II2II wrote: post #74
aucisson_masque wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pixel have other issue, quality control and run on Samsung exynos hardware with bad performance and connectivity. I'd argue that Android is technically more open than iOS but in practice it isn't. Google have dark pattern and elaborated ways to get Android user to stay in the 'walled Google play service garden'. Like when you install a third party store and Google play protect warns you it may be insecure. Or having…

> Pixel have other issue Every product is going to have issues in one form or another. The question is which issues affect your personal use of the product. I'm too new to Pixel to comment on whether switching to it is a good or a bad thing in my case, but I have been happy with the trade-offs so far. Ironically, one of the reasons why I went with a Pixel was to avoid much of the Google software ecosystem.

I switched to a Pixel for the same reason. I'm on my second Pixel and the GrapheneOS is fantastic

Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign

#107

Post by microtonal »

FreakyT wrote: post #59
malfist wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What happens when one of those updates bricks your battery so it only lasts an hour or so off charger?

Not sure why you're getting downvoted, considering that this actually happened: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/01/google-pixel-4as-rui...

Yes, and Google offers a free battery replacement for affected users:

https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/15701861

Last time Apple pushed a battery-related software update that avoided shutdowns (good), people had to sue them to get a compensation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batterygate

Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign

#108

Post by microtonal »

Kivern7 wrote: post #101
Grimblewald wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My problem was that all the modern Samsung watches have a battery life that wont get you through the day without removing half it's features, and charging solutions that are unreliable. If half the time you want to use the watch it's dead, it stops being a product you place value on or even rely on. I found myself checking time on my phone, despite the watch being on the same hand I'd grab the phone with, because I c…

That's odd. I have a Watch 6 Classic (I think?), it's my first smart watch, I have just about everything enabled, and on the rare occasion that I forget to charge it overnight it still just about gets through the next day too. In that situation, if I know I'll be sitting for a little while I can always top it up using my phone too (which, admittedly, is extremely fussy with charging placement). Initially I had a lot…

Same experience with the Watch 6 Classic. No issue of getting through the day with all features enabled. I stopped using it because I don't really like One UI (the Pixel Watch is so much cleaner).

Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign

#109

Post by microtonal »

ngangaga wrote: post #89
vvillena wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For everyday use, wireless headphones offer a superior experience simply due to the lack of a cable, and for the cases where an audio output is desired, it should be easy to connect the phone to an audio interface. Is any of this a problem in the Android ecosystem?

> For everyday use, wireless headphones offer a superior experience simply due to the lack of a cable Surely this is offset by a) having to charge it and b) not being able to replace the battery when it dies Not to mention a cable can be debugged easily; i don't even know which device my bluetooth headphones is connected to let alone why it's not working as expected.

So? Get the 10 Euro/Dollar Apple USB-C to stereo connector? Works with other phones as well and supposedly has an acceptable DAC. If you really want to charge at the same time and wireless charging is not acceptable, there are also some companies that make small connectors with USB-C power in and stereo out.

The reason the jack is gone is that the vast majority of people use wireless buds or headphones. It's the smartphone equivalent of complaining that MacBooks do not have DVD drives anymore.

(I like the stereo jack, but I have accepted that I'm a small minority.)

Re: Android and Wear OS are getting a redesign

#110

Post by microtonal »

yjftsjthsd-h wrote: post #55
bigstrat2003 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A headphone jack is unfortunately a problem with a pixel. Otherwise I would still own one. I had a Pixel 1, then a pixel 3a, then Google decided to get rid of a basic feature that every phone should have. So I stopped buying them.

Also no microSD slot. Decent internal storage, but the ability to expand, swap, and pull from a dead phone shouldn't be underestimated.

Being able to pull it from a dead phone seems like a huge security issue? Shouldn't storage be encrypted using private material from a secure element? I understand that people here are tech-savvy enough to only store music, etc. on an SD card. But I think a lot of less technically-inclined users would set themselves up for losing private data.
Post reply on HN