Taking the final wrapper off of Android 7.0 Nougat • Hacker News Board

Re: Taking the final wrapper off of Android 7.0 Nougat

#191

Post by desdiv » Tue, Aug 23, 2016, 4:12 AM UTC

Sylos wrote: post #125

koevet wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't you install the Signal apk directly, from apkmirror[0] ? 0: http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/open-whisper-systems/signal-pri...

Signal has a Google Play Services dependency for notifications, so it won't work properly without installing the whole Google package. Open Whisper Systems (the developers of Signal) apparently don't want to replace it or even just build in a fallback [0], and even fought with the LibreSignal developers, which is a fork that removes this dependency, and told them to stop using their servers [1], which lead to LibreSi…

There's a FOSS replacement for Google Play Services¹, and even Moxie himself² suggests using Signal with it if you not comfortable with Google Play.

¹ https://github.com/microg/android_packages_apps_GmsCore/wiki

² https://github.com/LibreSignal/LibreSignal/issues/37#issueco...

Re: Taking the final wrapper off of Android 7.0 Nougat

#192

Post by ac29 » Tue, Aug 23, 2016, 4:12 AM UTC

mscrivo wrote: post #63

andrewblossom wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Nexus 5 (16gb - $349, 32gb - $399) was released nearly three years ago for a fraction of the price of the comparable iPhone at the time (iPhone 5s: 16gb - $649, 32gb - $749). I think you got a hell of a deal. Upgrade to the 5x for another $350 be happy with another few years of support. Or wait for the new Nexus phones to come out this fall...

The only thing I'd add here is that unfortunately the Nexus 5x is not an upgrade over the 5 in terms of performance. It might even be a downgrade (I own both). Because the 5x uses a 64-bit arch, it uses more RAM than the 5x (and both only have 2GB). Also, the SD808 (2GHz) cores in the 5x are hardly a step up from the SD800 (2.2GHz) cores. The only real upgrade the 5x gives you is the camera.

>the Nexus 5x is not an upgrade over the 5 in terms of performance

Isnt it [0]? A 10-100% gain in performance is about what I'd expect from a 2-year smartphone cycle, and we'd be lucky to continue to get such gains.

If you can present data that actually shows no performance difference between the 5 and 5X, I'd be interested to see it.

[0] http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/10/nexus-5x-and-nexus-6p...

Re: Taking the final wrapper off of Android 7.0 Nougat

#193

Post by ac29 » Tue, Aug 23, 2016, 4:27 AM UTC

brianjking wrote: post #174

qubitcoder wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just upgraded to Android 7.0. Night Mode is still there! You can access it by enabling the system UI tuner. Just swipe down from the top of the screen to reveal the quick settings, and then press and hold the Settings icon (gear) for a few seconds and release. This will enable the UI tuner. Swipe down from the top again, then tap "EDIT" in the bottom right corner. There should be a tile for "Night mode", which you…

Did you upgrade from DP5?

I didn't and I can confirm the feature isn't there in a 6->7 update.

Re: Taking the final wrapper off of Android 7.0 Nougat

#194

Post by chickenbane » Tue, Aug 23, 2016, 4:37 AM UTC

hackuser wrote: post #105

koevet wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't you install the Signal apk directly, from apkmirror[0] ? 0: http://www.apkmirror.com/apk/open-whisper-systems/signal-pri...

Re: APKMirror: I have the same questions I have about all APK proxy services - which claim to pull the APKs directly form the Play Store - why would I trust it to provide software that isn't infected with malware? Other than APK Downloader, I haven't found another credible source among the very many options. Any solutions would be appreciated. ---- [0] APK Downloader, for those interested ... I'd start with the origi…

You are fine using apkmirror to grab an update you haven't yet received from the Play Store. When you install the apk, Android knows you are updating an app, verifies the signature, and ensures it came from the same developer.

Android is sane: it won't let you downgrade, further updates from the store will work correctly, etc. Since apkmirror usually get their apks from the Play Store, you'll be okay if you know what you are doing.

That said, your skeptical attitude is very appropriate. Installing apks from outside of the Play Store is by far the biggest vector for malware. Users that only install from the Play Store are currently safe (less than 0.15% of those users get malware).

Re: Taking the final wrapper off of Android 7.0 Nougat

#195

Post by EspadaV9 » Tue, Aug 23, 2016, 4:39 AM UTC

mscrivo wrote: post #88

igravious wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll be upgrading my 5 to get USB-C, that little connectivity feature for me is the upgrade clincher.

I guess, but I prefer the wireless charging of the Nexus 5 to the USB-C connector of the 5x. Of course it would be nice to have both. Hopefully this year's versions bring back the wireless charging.

I was really disappointed since the Nexus 5. I'm not sure why Qi charging was removed. Quick charging doesn't replace being able to just put your phone down to charge.

Re: Taking the final wrapper off of Android 7.0 Nougat

#196

Post by JohnTHaller » Tue, Aug 23, 2016, 4:55 AM UTC

faviouz wrote: post #133

ymse wrote: post #6

Just a shout-out to the fine folks over at CopperheadOS[0]who have been doing a lot of behind-the-scenes hardening in Android over the last year[1]. If you have a Nexus device and don't care much for the Play Store applications (F-Droid is included) give it a go for a true AOSP experience. The only apps I'm really missing are Tasker and Signal, but I have a second phone for those. 0: https://copperhead.co/android/ 1:…

Looks awesome, but no support for the Nexus 5 :(

Nexus 5 has a Snapdragon 800 with no 64-bit support. So, it's out. Same with the 805 in my Nexus 6. They're both kinda long in the tooth. The project supports the current (soon to be previous) generation of Nexus devices: 5x, 6p, 9.

Re: Taking the final wrapper off of Android 7.0 Nougat

#197

Post by JohnTHaller » Tue, Aug 23, 2016, 5:03 AM UTC

blisterpeanuts wrote: post #132

andrewblossom wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Nexus 5 (16gb - $349, 32gb - $399) was released nearly three years ago for a fraction of the price of the comparable iPhone at the time (iPhone 5s: 16gb - $649, 32gb - $749). I think you got a hell of a deal. Upgrade to the 5x for another $350 be happy with another few years of support. Or wait for the new Nexus phones to come out this fall...

The Nexus 5X has no wireless inductive charging. My nice little Yootech charger sitting on my desk is useless with my wife's 5X. Those cool "charging tables" at Starbucks and other such places are suddenly useless, as well. Also, 5X uses the USB-C connector, so you have to update all your cables and adapters on your desk and in your car. A real pain. When you're out in the world and need a charge-up, you'd better be…

Wireless charging is so much slower than wired. I played around with it with my old S4 (same launch year as the Nexus 5) via a receiver you could throw in the case. USB-C (easy connections and more reliability) plus fast charging make wireless charging seem like a quaint idea that couldn't catch on. Don't get me wrong, it'll come around eventually, but it's not really there yet. Once it's faster and a single standard, then we can talk.

Re: Taking the final wrapper off of Android 7.0 Nougat

#198

Post by JohnTHaller » Tue, Aug 23, 2016, 5:09 AM UTC

Longhanks wrote: post #74

SadWebDeveloper wrote: post #2

No nexus 5 (not 5x) OTA Update ='(

Shame on Google. iPhone 5 was released a year before it (September 2012) and is going to receive iOS 10 in a few weeks. This is just laziness on Google's side.

Nexus 5 launch price: US$349

iPhone 5 launch price: US$649

A phone nearly twice the price should be supported quite a lot longer.

Re: Taking the final wrapper off of Android 7.0 Nougat

#199

Post by frik » Tue, Aug 23, 2016, 5:13 AM UTC

Global Smartphone Marketshare Q2/2016

  Android    ...  86.2
  iOS        ...  12.9
  Windows    ...   0.6
  Blackberry ...   0.1
  Other      ...   0.2

http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3415117

Re: Taking the final wrapper off of Android 7.0 Nougat

#200

Post by microtonal » Tue, Aug 23, 2016, 5:15 AM UTC

dingo_bat wrote: post #183

primo44 wrote: post #35

No Android 7 on my Nexus 5 might just be what pushes me to iOS. I've gone from being an Android evangelist to being an Android apologist ("Yeah, battery life sucks. Google has failed to fix it after X years") to now being, frankly, pissed off that my expensive phone is going to be left behind.

You really need to buy a flagship to compare with iPhone.

But the update experience on flagships (except if you count the Nexus 6P) is absolutely terrible. I had an Android excursion: Nexus 4 -> Moto X 2013 -> Moto X 2014. Motorola was known at the time for quick updates. This meant in practice that they pushed out an extremely buggy Android 5.0 quickly, and then waited half a year to push out a release with fixes. On the Moto X 2013 I had to wait more than a year (!) for Lollipop, although at the time of release the phone was only released a year ago.

tl;dr Android updates on non-Nexus flagships are terrible. Updates are typically months late and stop after 12 or 18 months.