Google, You Creepy Sonofabitch

You don't have to subscribe to the emails to get the benefits. The notifications are the same as when you're not a local guide. I also signed up to get the benefits.

I really wish I didn't dislike apple and hate their UI and design

I live a quarter mile from McDonalds. Google is convinced I sleep there every night. I MIGHT be significantly less bothered by Google's incessant stalking if literally any of it turned out to work. As it is, Google asks me about places I've never been, doesn't pick up on package notifications in emails, and warns me about an "upcoming" bill after I get the "Thanks for paying" email.

What the hell are you doing with all my free data google?

I owned Google Pixel last year. I found the constant pestering from Google Maps to upload more photos very annoying. I returned after a while.

I sent the following issues to Google customer service and returned the device. I am putting that here with a sense of respect to both Google and hn community. Some of it is dated.

I am very unhappy with the Pixel purchase. It is not worth the price. I am an iPhone user who switched to Pixel after seeing the Pixel event. I am also a Google fan but I found the experience with Pixel jarring. Below is my experience so far. I am going to return the Pixel and go back to my old iPhone 5s.

1. My experience with music on Android I did not like Google Play Music app because the free version meant having to put up with ads. Also I did not like to use data to play the songs I already owned. So I downloaded the songs on Google Play Music. But I did not like the Google Play Music app interface. So I read reviews of the best music player and bought Neutron and Poweramp. But both music apps were not able to use the music which Google Play Music downloaded. So I spent an hour to find ways to move music from my pc to Pixel and did it with windows media player. Now I started using Neutron and I chose the automatic option to find music and it started played Podcast files which is not what I expected (I had bought Pocket cast and downloaded some podcasts earlier). Then I used Poweramp. But what I noticed was a bug in Android OS. When I connected the 3.5 mm audio jack and disconnected a call I was on, both Neutron and Poweramp started playing! Shouldn't Android OS allow only one player to play music. Isn't that the most basic test case! So playing music on Android was a bad experience. When I close the app the music was still playing. The app was sitting in the notification area and still running. I wanted to stop playing music when I closed the app. Why doesn't Google make a decent default music player for Android? And why does the music start playing when I connect the 3.5 mm cable. I may not want to hear music but may want to listen to a podcast. The music experience has been horrible on the Pixel.

2. Using Google Assistant to make a conference call I pressed and held the middle button and said "call Jack". It brought up a list of numbers and chose one and the call failed. This is a conference call number. The contacts has a comma in between two numbers. Comma is used for a pause. Google Assistant dropped the comma and dialed the number and the call failed. Because of this bug in Google Assistant I can't use it to make a call to a conference all.

3. Podcasts I bought Pocket Cast but on the locked screen I don't see the 10 second rewind and forward buttons. I only see the back and next buttons. Whey can't I see the 10 second rewind and forward buttons? Why do I have to unlock the phone to access those two buttons? It is irritating to hear 30 minutes of the podcast only to press the back button and be put in the beginning of the podcast.

4. iTablaPro Android does not have a decent alternative to iOS' iTablePro app. The swar systems app is not that good. For certain user compaints on the Google Play store, the developer asks the customer to go to a certain folder and delete files. Why expose a customer to such intricate technical issues. Also there are certain issues that happen on other models that is related to timing. Generally I notice that the quality of apps is not good compared to iOS.

5. The back button Using the back button is confusing. Sometimes instead of taking me to the previous screen, the app takes me to the home screen. Why?

6. No headphones I paid $750. So why doesn't Pixel come with a headset?

7. Video editing I found it hard to trim and cut videos. I did not find a default android app to edit and trim videos.

8. Music snycing If I delete a song how do it sync it so that it deletes on my pc as well? Why isn't Google making a good music sync program.

9. Local search results on the phone does not include the music files on the phone. Why?

10. When I turn on my Bluetooth headset the music plays on it instead of the 3.5 mm jack. I don't see any easy way to choose 3.5 mm jack for songs and take calls using my bluetooth headset.

In all I am not happy with the price I paid for Pixel and the Android os and apps seem to work poorly. Android is poorly designed without paying care to the needs of the customer. I am deeply dissatisfied. It hurts me to say it because I am a big fan of Google as a company and like many of its services.

Actually, you didn't pay for the software. The open source parts of Android do not cost you anything, and the commercial components are free to use as long as you have a Google account.