Over the years I've tested out pretty much all the Android keyboards, but swipe typing always kept me on GBoard, even though GBoard did not support voice typing for anything except Google, so I had to switch keyboards for that. Recently I learned that HeliBoard has support for gesture typing with the Google library. But I couldn't find any instructions on where to get the necessary files or how to do it. Well, someone posted a link to the file elsewhere so I'll [share it here](https://github.com/erkserkserks/openboard/blob/46fdf2b550035ca69299ce312fa158e7ade36967/app/src/main/jniLibs/arm64-v8a/libjni_latinimegoogle.so). And it works! Extremely well. I can also pin a button for voice typing and then select Transcribro for that (which uses OpenAI Whisper locally and works super well. Another gripe I had with GBoard was the cursor moves way too fast when swiping on the space bar. Not so with Heliboard. You can also swipe backwards from the backspace key and it will highlight text and then delete it when you let go.

Trust me, I push Signal _hard_ and even donate to it monthly. As I'm sure many of you know, there are always a few contacts who unfortunately refuse to use it. In this case: do you prefer to use insecure SMS in something like QUIK SMS or Fossify Messages, or do you prefer to bite the Google bullet to get end-to-end encrypted messages (even if the metadata isn't encrypted)? I can see good arguments for both sides, so I am curious what Lemmy's take is.

If you haven't seen this yet, Google is planning to require mandatory developer identity verification for all Android apps, including apps distributed outside the Play Store, taking effect September 2026. This affects every independent and open source Android developer directly. This is not just about the Play Store. After September 2026, on any certified Android device, applications from unverified developers will be blocked by default. The only proposed bypass, the "advanced flow", exists only as a blog post and has not appeared in any beta, dev preview, or canary release. No one outside Google has seen it. The community has been fighting back at keepandroidopen.org: - Read the full breakdown of what this means - Sign the open letter (organisations only) - Contact your national regulators — contacts listed by country on the site - Add the countdown banner to your project September 2026 is closer than it looks. The time to push back is now.

I'm using e/os and I want to be sure that, when connected to my local network, my local dns server is used, however, no matter what I do, my phone always use google's one. Is there any way to fix this?

Quote from Proton VPN: > Google has known about a bug that breaks VPN apps for 7 months, leaving users exposed with no warning or error, just a VPN app that stopped working in the background. > > If you're using ANY VPN on Android, you can help us by getting Google's attention to fix it. > > We first reported this bug to Google in September 2025. > > Others like Mullvad and Wireguard reported it even earlier, in August. > > Google's response? "I don't see anything unusual." > > The bug corrupts Android's network stack at the system level after a VPN update, causing users to blame their VPN provider. > > Restarting the app doesn't help, with the only fix being a full device reboot or VPN app reinstall, something which most users never figure out. > > This affects several VPN providers on Android 16, and only Google has the access to diagnose it properly. > > After 7 months of waiting, we're now asking publicly: Google, when are you fixing this? > > Issue Tracker Links: > > https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/441315112 > > https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/4474331

Screenshots:  and Gesture navigation is now enabled by default

Trying to remove the FRP on my phone, but so far just able to get it to load google.com cannot sign in, or install any apps. https://i.imgur.com/Pa1pRkR.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/AHXKLAy.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/U9vnMII.jpeg Any tips

Link to the app: <https://f-droid.org/packages/com.jksalcedo.librefind/>

Hi everyone, ::: spoiler Genesis I have an unused [Xiaomi redmi note 6 pro](https://www.devicespecifications.com/en/model/bdca4cb9) that was standing in a drawer and I wanted to re-use it. This phone was already running with a custom ROM lineageOS but they do not support it any longer and they've also deleted all the ROM files relative to it 🤯 so no way to download again those ROM ! So I tried few other stuff and I landed in bricking my phone. Too bad as it was still in a great shape and condition. What a waste/pollution !! I'am myself an IT guy, but the unnecessary complexity of the Android phone and what the brands does.. etc. make too many steps and I cannot spend ~two weeks to unbrick it. And additionally to that, when I see what Google planned for us https://keepandroidopen.org/ oh my God. 🤮 ::: So I am looking for a phone[^Floss]: - around 100-150€/$ - screen ~6.50' - a mini jack 🎧 - Easy to install/Flash another ROM ! ( let's dream, maybe the vendor itself guide/help in order to do so ) - Bootloader not locked !? - Easy to be the root [^root] - Not need to be the newer model [^Floss]: Floss \ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_and_open-source_software [^root]: And by the way, why we should struggle and trick so much just to gain **root** access? Do are we not the owner of our phones? Why not a simple option that asks to be root? And the user will take its own responsibility for it !?

One of my favorite aspects of folding phones is the return of the fingerprint sensors built directly into the power button. This is objectively the ideal design, for reasons I assume I don't have to explain. Lately, however, the novelty of folding phones is wearing off and I'm starting to think I'd just like something lighter and sleeker. Are there any recommendations for a phone with a power-button sensor that still has good specs and cameras? Edit: for the purposes of this post, physical sensors on the back of the phone also count, since they can wake the phone and unlock it simultaneously. And to clarify (I thought this was a thing everyone just inherently agreed on), the benefits of physical sensors are: 1) accuracy. A physical sensors will always be more accurate (and thus have fewer issues) because it doesn't have to work THROUGH the screen. This has been improved a lot with newer technologies like ultrasonic readers, but it is literally impossible to be better than the same technology utilized without a screen in the way. 2) wake/unlock in one motion. Since it's also a button, it can wake the phone and unlock it in one motion, rather than 2 separate ones. Again, newer tech has sort of worked around this with things like lift to wake or just having the sensor area ALWAYS scanning so you can unlock it from sleep regardless, but these are clunky software implementations that rely on your phone constantly actively trying to to figure out whether you're doing the thing or not, so it again can't be as efficient as just a normal button. Battery impact for these is also pretty minimal for the most part, but it's still not zero. 3) tactility. You can feel the button, and manufacturers can put it where your hand naturally rests, meaning that you can unlock the phone BEFORE you have even taken it out of your pocket. 4) cost. Physical sensors are hella cheap y'all. The technology to read the ridges on your finger through a sheet of plastic and glass is (turns out) kind of expensive. We're all being forced to pay for this dumb gimmick. 5) durability. Screens get scratched and dinged up, which compromises the sensors ability to read. Physical sensors on the other hand are basically the most durable part of the phone. Again, mostly a non issue on newer phones, but it's yet another thing manufacturers have had to dump money into working around (and thus charging you more for). 6) not impacted by screen protectors, rain on the screen, etc.

If I set an alarm for two hours from now, it will go off. I've tested this a few times. But my morning alarms, at 6:07 and 6:13 am, just don't go off. I've been testing this for like a week now and I cant figure it out. Later in the day, maybe 3 or 4 hours later, the phone will alert me that I missed the alarm, even when my body clock wakes me up before the alarm and I lay awake watching my phone tick past the alarm time without it ever twitching or doing anything. So far, I've tried: - Deleting all alarms and recreating them - Clearing the app cache and data, then rebooting - Removing Duraspeed system app which I suspected of causing problems - Toggling every setting and widget related to alarms and DND I can find Here's my alarm setup:  Clock app settings:   Android sound settings:  Now, I suspected it was some battery thing killing the app, or DND preventing it from going off, but these settings all look correct to me:    And just now, its warned me about the missed alarm that I laid awake watching not go off:  Any ideas about what else to investigate, or what else to do? Should I just download and rely on a different alarm app or something?

Ive been using custom roms to greatly extend the lifespan of my phone (still using a xiaomi mi9t from 2019, running smoothly on A15, with lineageOS). Some apps, like banking apps, or gov apps sometimes require a stock android and locked bootloader. But, besides the stock spyware, stock roms become unusable in 2 to 3 years, forcing an upgrade. Im thinking of getting a cheap 2nd phone to keep with stock android to use banking/gov apps and to leave at home. This way i could use my primary phone with a custom rom and have it working for way longer than 3 years, with _less_ spyware, and wasting less money (depending on the price of that 2nd phone). Does this seem like a decent strategy considering how android is moving? **Important question:** If the cheap phone gets outdated, would it be safe to use it for banking considering i wouldnt install other apps or use a browser in that phone? The brands available here (brazil) are mostly motorola, samsung, lg, xiaomi and realme (no pixels, nothings, fairphone, pinephones,...). What would be the best options for these two phones? The 2ndary phone should be cheap and reliable (gonna be used like once a week, but should last as long as possible) and 1ary phone should have unlockable bootloader and have good rom support for many years (i hope this niche wont die soon). Banking on the browser is not an option anymore in my situation. I think it wont be around for long in the rest of the world too.

If anyone could point me to some information or guide about this I'd really appreciate that. I think the official com.android.gsm and friends need to be uninstalled first. I've tried that with adb, console reports "success", Google Play Services is no longer listed in Settings > Apps. But... if I try to install MicroG via Fdroid or Droid-ify it goes through the install process, there's no error, but MicroG Core is not shown as "installed". If I try to install the apk with adb it says the currently installed version is newer than the one I'm trying to install? microg.org seems to just assume you know how to install. I read something about signature spoofing but I thought that was only for older devices. Any insights / suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Edit: I think this is the answer: https://xdaforums.com/t/guide-degoogle-any-device-and-install-microg.4058743/

Cross-posted from ["Release 2026.01.24 is out"](https://sopuli.xyz/post/40180848) by @[email protected] in [email protected] --- Release 2026.01.24 is now out on all distribution channels! Beyond fresh OpenStreetMap data, it includes adding road outlines for better readability, renaming of the "Bookmarks & Tracks" to the clearer "Favorites" and many more updates: https://codeberg.org/comaps/comaps/releases/tag/v2026.01.24-5

i apologize for how niche this question is cuz im not sure where else to post this i'm currently running microg lineage with verizon, but i'm soon switching to a google fi plan. will the service work fine in this rom ?

A friend of mine deleted the Mi account associated with his phone, and then tried to reset it. The phone is now blocked with the Mi account... Any ideas on how to unlock the phone?

Hi. [Send]. What I mean is. [Send]. Insufferable cunts who use. [Send]. Like it's a fuckin. [Send]. Return key. [Send]. 😡. Is there a way to get a single notification for a conversation, be it WhatsApp, text or whatever, then silence notifications until the window-licking shitbag stops pressing [Send]? 😅

Hi, I would like to forward automatically [Text messages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sms). A couples of years before, I was doing it easily with some [FLOSS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free/libre_and_open-source_software) apps But none of those apps (I keep the apk ;) ) works anymore on "recent" AOSP[^1] phone 🤨 ( Thanks to g**gle, to not take care of retro-compatibility ).. So, I lost time to dig for new apps (FLOSS and not) - https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.pierreduchemin.smsforward/ The GUI is launching, but nothing happen.... not even an error message. - https://apkpure.com/sms-forwarder/com.frzinapps.smsforward in addition do not be FLOSS it weight 70MB XD !!! , no thank you. I'm willing to write a "Shell" script to run under Android, to just do that (I've never developed for Android, so if you have any advice I'm all ears ) or any other solution like - Linux phone ROM ( without systemd ) - or maybe a simcard dongle, to allow my Linux computer to receive/send text ? [^1]: a ROM that use [AOSP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_Open_Source_Project) is generally [gapps](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Workspace) free 😍

If you want a easy, reliable and cross-platform way to share files between computers, phones, etc, it may be of your interest.

While we live in a time where smartphones can get prolonged support and usability by way of software updates, it stands to reason that nearly all software and hardware platforms have a finite lifespan. With that in mind, Google recently announced that it will be discontinuing updates for Android version 4.4, otherwise known as “Kitkat”. The announcement was made via Google’s Android Developers blog. A statement from Sarat Tummala, Product Manager at Google Play services reads: The Android KitKat (KK) platform was first released ~10 years ago and since then, we’ve introduced many innovative improvements and features for Android, which are unavailable on KK. As of July 2023, the active device count on KK is below 1% as more and more users update to the latest Android versions. Therefore, we are no longer supporting KK in future releases of Google Play services. KK devices will not receive versions of the Play Services APK beyond 23.30.99. Android KitKat first arrived on the scene back in October of 2013, and brought some pretty significant improvements towards performance, allowing Android to run on devices with less-than-impressive hardware. It also came with the Kitkat logo design, drawn directly from the popular chocolate brand.

I’m switching from IOS to android and am looking to buy a new phone. I really dont have time/energy to dig into it too much and i looked around and the s23 seemed quite good and affordable price wise. I’m not doing too much fancy stuff just needs to be able to last (my iphone has been serving me for 7 years). Any thoughts? Only thing that’s really necessary is the screen needs to have the ability to dim really dark (which seems to be a thing on the s23) because I have visual sensitivities and eye problems.

They really didn't have to redesign a text box. Please stop reinventing the wheel. I don't need another pop up in my life.

> After Mark as played for podcasts and Sound Search, YouTube Music is rolling out a redesign of artist pages on Android and iOS.

apparently I didn't ask the correct question with my last post: I'm looking for a foss messenger I can also send audio and video with and have a conversation over the smartphone not needing to use voip (and not needing a phone number).

> The Google Discover feed is a constantly evolving beast that offers news, updates, and now social media posts right there on your homescreen.

Previously this would be OnePlus, but it looks like their newest phones aren't rootable. I used to have a Xiaomi phone for this also, are they still good? Ik you can root smartphones from a lot of brands but I'm looking for one that has good ROM support and doesn't try all kinds of tricks / to prevent you from unlocking the bootloader

Running Android 13. For whatever reason whenever I set my phone to automatically connect to a WiFi network when in range, it never does. If I pull down the notification panel it'll say I'm connected to WiFi, but the LTE of my mobile connection is showing. If I go to network settings, hit disconnect and then reconnect directly from there, it'll show that I'm actually connected to the WiFi. But then after awhile it'll disconnect and I have to repeat the process to stay connected. The disconnect on my home WiFi network is normal because I have to use another laptop as a mobile hotspot because the location I'm at only allows 2 simultaneous connections to the WiFi under my credentials and so the laptop acts as a bridge to connect all my other devices at once and since said WiFi has to support several thousand people at once disconnections are frequent and expected. But despite that, my phone does it to every single WiFi network I've tried to connect it to. It will frequently have the exclamation point ! Next to the WiFi indicator saying that the network is unavailable (even though it works smoothly) until I turn on my VPN (Astrill). I've ticked the box that says "connect anyway" because it was annoying me to have to select that Everytime I connected to a WiFi network. So I'm at a loss as to what's the issue. It might just be that I have a shit moto stylus because my rear camera takes potato quality pictures if try to shoot anything beyond the reach of my arms despite it having "better" cameras than my previous phones. It's also not a VPN problem because on my previous phone (LGV60) as soon as I'm in range of my ad hoc network it'll connect automatically and the only issue I have is when the network refreshes itself and I have to go reconnect my mobile hotspot on my laptop. So something on my Moto Stylus 5G (2022) is refusing to connect to WiFi networks and stay connected once in range. I hope someone here can offer me solutions. Thanks!

> Qualcomm claims that my Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus' Snapdragon 8 Elite CPU is faster than the Intel Core Ultra 288V chip. My smartphone also has 12GB of RAM and 512GB of solid-state storage. In short, it's more powerful than most of my laptops. So why not use it as a laptop? > Why not, indeed, says Google, which has introduced -- at long last -- a native Linux Terminal application in its March 2025 Pixel Feature Drop.

I live in Canada. My girlfriend is Chinese (also living in Canada), and while we are able to communicate via SMS, her mobile carrier isn't the best, and so there have often been issues for us with regular texting. She expressed a strong preference to use WeChat, at least as a backup option for when texting fails us. While I have some pretty significant reservations, it's not the hill I want to die on. So my question is: what can be done to use WeChat without compromising my whole phone? I'm okay with it if our conversations aren't private, but I'd like to know that I'm not giving unfettered access to all of my phone's systems and data to the CCP. What can be done to limit the reach of this ubiquitous app on my device?