I had no idea that the apps could look so similar in format. This is incredible, and I hope we can keep off-Reddit Android communities like this one active!

Long story short, I have my wife’s old android to play around with Oppo F7.

I needed a second phone as I’m from country A and she is from country B and there are some apps that are region locked. I’m on iOS mainly and can’t figure out a way around the region lock.

I’m mainly using it for Disney plus and to manage our subscription, but I’d like to lock into the meta verse on it “Lemmy” and “mastodon”.

I’m also interested in a decent YouTube app. I’m using invidious on iOS, but the android speakers are louder.

For any beta user's experiencing Fingerprint issues.

So I saw that the June QPR update was released yesterday, but it's still not available as an OTA when I try to pull it on my Pixel 7. Anyone else?

I just tried WSA and it's pretty laggy even on rtx 3080 and amd 5600x

Google officially ends support for the AOSP Dialer and Messaging apps and will remove them from the source manifest.

I spotted this change last week but didn't think it was a big deal (because it isn't), but since it's now being picked up on by news sites (https://www.osnews.com/story/136235/google-further-guts-the-android-open-source-project-by-deprecating-the-dialer-and-messaging-apps/), let me explain why.

Hi Beta users,

Today we’re sending you an Android 14 Beta 3.1 patch (UPB3.230519.014) which includes the latest June security update and the following fixes:

• Fixed issues where Fingerprint Unlock was either unavailable or unusable on some devices. (Issue #284360298, Issue #284529436, Issue #284436572)
• Fixed platform compatibility issues that were affecting mapping SDKs, which caused dependent apps to crash in some cases.

Other known issues still apply to Beta 3.1. In addition, see top open issues for the latest issues reported by developers and users and review our release notes for more details.

How do I get the Android 14 Beta 3.1 patch?

If you’re currently enrolled in the Android Beta Program, you will automatically get offered an over-the-air (OTA) update to Android 14 Beta 3.1. Eligible devices include Pixel 4a 5G, 5, 5a, 6, 6 Pro, 6a, 7, 7 Pro, 7a series devices.

If you aren't yet enrolled and would like to join Android Beta, please visit g.co/androidbeta.

Note: Android 14 Beta 3.1 is a phased rollout based on device and carrier, so it may take up to a week for you to receive the update. We appreciate your patience.

Tell us what you think

As always, your participation and feedback is incredibly valuable to us, and we look forward to

hearing about your experience with this latest update. Please share feedback using the Android Beta Feedback app included in the Beta on Pixel phones and/or by posting to this community.

Or just any mobile games in general? I'm looking for discussions and recommendations for mobile games that aren't just trashware and cash grabs.

Edit: u/_MoveSwiftly has kindly created https://lemmy.world/c/androidgamers for this exact purpose.

Feel free to post your Android homescreens here and discuss details, personalization, etc. I'll start with mine, this is what I have on my Galaxy S7.

EDIT: Sorry for uploading a full sized 1440p PNG. We should upload them as JPEG to save the instance admin some storage.

If you swipe left you get to Google News. Is it possible to replace this feed with another app? Maybe an independent news service?

The Android 12/13 UI really grinds my gears. Excessive amounts of whitespace, and the notification shade has become "kiddified" - Turning off wifi/mobile data now takes 2 taps, the icons are all ridiculously big and takes up so much screen space, etc.

I personally don't like phones that are excessively big, because I use it a lot on my commutes. Screen real estate is valuable to me, and while whitespace has its uses, I think Android 12/13 went too far - it might work better on a tablet, but it sucks on a phone. I was really tempted by the Pixel, but ended up getting a Samsung partially because of this (One UI doesn't have the same bloated-whitespace look).

Am I the only one? Surely Google did user testing... didn't they?

Credit to @nyas1 on GitHub.

Come along, after thought.

I've had this feature on an AmazeFit with Notify firmware for years.

Everyone has their preferences, I would love to hear why you guys prefer using Android!

My context / use case

I got Fire 7 tablets for my kiddos a few years ago and they're dreadfully slow and can't really run many apps at all. With my daughter needing some educational support at home, I was looking for a cheap replacement that actually had enough power to manage recent education apps, and hopefully be future proof for a while.

Alternatives

The cheapest tablet at Costco.ca, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, is $500 CAD, has a weak processor, only 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage.

I'll never touch Apple products for a zillion reasons, but cost was completely prohibitive for a device my child could drop any day. Even used ones are insanely priced. And the app ecosystem for education on iOS is almost entirely paid apps, increasingly using a subscription model. (Or so it seems.)

Newer Amazon Fire "HD" tablets suck, too, but at least they're cheap. And they might be powerful enough to run some things? idk. I wasn't enthused.

Then, I thought to check AliExpress and found an 8GB tablet with 128GB storage, a processor better than the S6, and a 2K (1440p) display. After reading reviews to check if it's legit, I ordered one.

Informal Review

The great:

Price/value for the specs. I paid ~$240CAD for a bundle that includes a nice case, screen protector, charging block and cable, and a child-size Bluetooth keyboard. (It doesn't have a digitizer, so I skipped the stylus.)

The good:

The tablet is snappy. The battery lasts a long time. The screen has plenty enough resolution to render everything crisply on a 10.4" display.

It's a perfect tablet for my kids use as an educational tablet. It's great for PDF ebook reading (mostly picture books and early reader chapter books to date, lol!) and has handled all the education/edutainment apps without any slowdowns.

3.5mm jack. 18W fast charging. Build quality feels solid. Well positioned hardware buttons and 3.5mm jack make it easy to use in either orientation. The included case works as an angled stand. SD card slot for expansion. SIM compatible for phone/data.

The bad:

The viewing angle is pretty terrible. It's completely fine for solo use or for applications where colour accuracy isn't important, but it's very noticeable.

The speakers suck. I'm not a sound geek, so I don't know the correct terms, but the sound is muddy and distorted. They also have a fairly low maximum volume, and become increasingly distorted at higher volume. They work well enough, but it's not enjoyable for music. I would definitely use headphones for music/video/games.

I haven't tried the camera at all, but I've heard it's not great. Can't comment on that.

The purchase

The vendor I ordered from (ALLDOCUBE Direct Store) swapped the EU plug for a US plug at no extra cost. It arrived quickly (3 weeks?) from China.

The package arrived with the retail box crushed, so the included screen protector broke. After using it for a day, I decided to buy a second one for my other child, and asked them to include a replacement. Not only did they include a replacement, but they pre-installed the screen protector on tablet #2 so it couldn't break, without my asking them to.

I would recommend the seller, but ask them to pre-install the screen protector (if you plan to use one) so there's less risk of damage in transit.

Discussion

Anyway, not sure if this is the kind of content people want here, but I thought I'd do my part to add something!

Has anyone else experimented with cheap AliExpress/Chinese Android devices?

Based on my success with these, I'm considering getting a phone for my wife there. I'm a bit more worried about data vulnerabilities and software support longevity on a daily driver phone, but it's really hard to find a small quality phone for a reasonable price. Also, it needs to have a good camera or it's a nonstarter.

Do you have any experience or thoughts on this?

Whilst Google announced a ton of AI powered features for Android 14 at Google I/O, it seems like most of them will be Pixel exclusive...

Hoping Samsung does more with OneUI 6 since Google's really pushing for Pixel exclusivity on Android now 🙄

Because damn that's annoying. With phones being massive now, it makes little sense to make us reach up to the top of the screen to swipe between tabs. Do all their chrome devs just have super long fingers..?

I tried switching to Firefox, which has the URL box at the bottom, but the lack of tab grouping (not the same thing as Firefox's tab collections) is really annoying. I've come to love that feature in Chrome!

So, next question... What's your fave browser on Android, and how well does it handle syncing with the desktop?

I switched to apple years ago but I’ve been craving android. My mac book screen broke so I took that as an excuse to buy a tablet. I didn’t need anything too expensive so I thought that was a good choice. Bought a new one off eBay for $200. I’m still waiting for it but I’m excited.

I was even thinking about setting up Remote Desktop and using my tablet for my computer lol. I also use hoopla for comic books but my phone screen is too small for it so I’m also excited for that. Overall I’m hyped to have an android device again.

I know it’s not the greatest thing in the world but that’s not what I’m looking for