All the other discussions I found on Lemmy dismiss it because they find the idea of a second phone ridiculous. Or because they don't buy into the "dumb phone" concept. But I think it makes a compelling phone on it's own, and you wouldn't need a second. But really look into it. By every indication it appears designed to be a fully featured main phone. It has some compromises made to fit the keyboard first philosophy, but it has everything you'd need and more. Dual SIM (eSIM+physical), a headphone jack, micro SD Card support, a 50mp camera with OIS (I know megapixels don't mean much but I think it shows it's not gonna be the cheapest crap camera), NFC/Google Pay support, Android Auto, Qi2... That doesn't read "second phone" to me. It's just.... phone. They have now said that it will have an unlockable bootloader too. I'm not finding much to dislike here. 8GB of RAM is somewhat low but should be fine. The processor is still a question mark but honesty as long as it's not bottom of the barrel it should be perfectly fine. I have always gone for flagship phones but honestly I've started analyzing what I actually do on my phone and I pretty much never push the hardware. I like knowing I have the top of the line but I basically just web browse, message, read email, scroll Lemmy, and listen to music/podcasts. Very occasionally watch some YouTube but that's usually on my TV or PC. No gaming or anything. I should be able to do all of that on this device, some of it won't be as good on that screen obviously but it should still be doable. I need the camera to at least be decent. Not great just not garbage. Like it's fine if the low light performance is meh and the video isn't the best. But I don't want to look at my photos and regret taking it with that device, so we'll see. I don't want a dumb phone, and I don't think this is one. You should be able to do everything any other phone can. I don't think it's a second phone either. I think they're just leaning into that for marketing reasons, so that when anyone points out the tradeoffs of this form factor they can just wave it away as a secondary device. It appeals to me because it's a small phone. Seriously nobody makes one worth using. Unihertz sure, if you want a bad software experience with no updates ever. But otherwise you just have the non-plus sized iPhone/Galaxy S. Those are considered small. Or maybe the flip-foldables. It also appeals to me because it has major character and (imo) style. I'm bored of glass and metal sandwiches. Give me this! A plastic device with a swappable back that has a (vegan?) leather option? Hell yeah.

Does anyone know this company? I hope it's Nova launchers saving grace.

I remeber **Moto E 1st Gen** with Snapdragon 200, 1GB RAM ,4 GB (2.1 GB usable) Storage. I have played games on it in 2017 it was some COD AW clone. I could install alot of Apps on just 2.1GB storage. No hang and good multi tasking on 1GB RAM. Again I got a SD 625 + 4GB RAM and it is awesome. I remeber thinking 4GB in phone will be max forever as 8GB in PC/Laptop was good enough for gaming and 16GB in PC for browsing ain't enough. Now in 2026 6GB in Android is considered low-end and Apps crash. Again I got a Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 + 8GB RAM. Devs please stop making apps big, CPU/RAM heavy. Apps like Facebook/Instagram should be shamed they are 1GB each. Android OS has no limit on cache. Android OS has no native user-frienly option to control which apps can run in background. Phone/SoC reviews are a scam, they say SD 363 is 50% better than SD 625. I don't think it is a very big leak from SD625 to 7s Gen 2. Reviewers are stuck in 2013, "casual games run OK and COD runs at 60 FPS", it always did for every phone! I think I am going to boycott high tier phones.

The author 's reference to incremental improvements remind of entry level Samsung Phones (A Series). They often don't change much (though the newer ones get as high as six years of software support, IIRC). This phone lacks wireless charging which the previous version had, an odd choice (though I had personally they had increased the wired charging speeds).

#android #smarphone

Local Desktop helps you run a desktop Linux environment on your Android device.

You used to be able to use the *#*#4636#*#* trick to get a hidden menu, but now that's gone too. There's nothing in the menu that alllows you to select which network to use. I hate to keep having network disconnects and in perpetual 4G/5G back and forth and battery draining. I use Samsung btw Edit: For context: Its due to issues with being near the edge of the 5G zone so your phone keeps going back and forth between 4G and 5G which (I suspect), is what causes constant network disconnection, phone being hot/warm, and battery drain. Very annoying. Edit: YOOOO I FUCKING FOUND IT https://f-droid.org/en/packages/de.szalkowski.activitylauncher/ Search "Phone Info" --> Click the one with the phone icon --> Click again (there should be only one option --> Launch Activity --> Fina a dropdown option, change dropdown to LTE Voila. I feel like a fucking hacker (why is this so hidden wtf Samsung?)

If I only wanted to degoogle and disable other manufacturer's bloatware from my Android device, is using adb to "uninstall" the system apps from user 0 pretty much as effective as rooting and using something like debloat terminal while rooted or are there bypasses that make rooting the better option? I'm not concerned about reclaiming the space used by these disabled system apps in this case.

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/

Thanks Moto, just 2.5 months behind. I think they will do a major version update sometime, then 1 more security patch and that's it? That's what they did with my previous phone. It wasn't ideal but tbh it didn't bother me that much. All this is pure FYI.

Hello everyone, I’ve been working on a simple 3D maze game for Android. The main idea is a daily maze: everyone plays the same maze each day and competes on a global leaderboard. It’s designed to be quick and casual. Wordle-style sessions you can finish in a few minutes. Features: - Daily Maze: same maze for everyone, resets daily, global leaderboard - Random Mode: no competition, solution button available - Duels: real-time 1v1 races on a randomly generated maze I’d really appreciate feedback, especially on what features or modes would be interesting to add. The app isn’t public yet because Google requires a testing phase, but testing is open. You just need to join a Google Group and then use the Play Store link below. Google group: (It may show "you don't have access to this content" but if you login you can request access. It's unfortunately a necessary step for the App links below to work.) https://groups.google.com/g/maze-trials-3d-closed-testing App links: Web: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.mazegame3d.app Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mazegame3d.app (The App links above will only be available after joining the group. I'm very sorry, those are google requirements.) Thanks!

cross-posted from: https://piefed.europe.pub/post/65174 > cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/38001927 > > > > In this post, I hope to clarify and expand on some of the points and rebut some of the counter-messaging that we have witnessed.

Is there anyone else that isn't on Samsung or using the Samsung APK of Google Messages that actually HAS customizable bubbles? I'm on a Pixel 7 Pro and have been waiting for customizable bubbles. I've tried the debug values but I only have "bugle" flags and "device country". I've also tried installing the beta version, uninstalling the beta, and downloading the latest APK and manually installing it. I personally don't like the massive header added by the Samsung APK so I've stayed with the pixel variant.

I have a radio app on my Nokia G21, buts its kinda shitty, hard to navigate cant record and clunky. Im looking for another FM radio apps, I only found ones that use the internet, and do not take the signal from the phones FM antenna, but from a server. I dont know if this can be accessed by any app, sadly I cannot root(Cant unlock bootloafer), but I can use ADB or shizuku.

> Announced alongside December's Pixel Feature Drop, Google Drive is rolling out automatic "Enhance" to its mobile document scanner.

I'm using the official Github app and it keeps logging me out randomly and it's really annoying. Is there any good android app for Github.

Custom rommed using CM11 :D

I hate shareit. It's full of ads and nonsense, but it's much faster than any other alternative?

As you may well know, Fairphone is a company that originally arose from a kickstarter campaign and makes phones that are as easily repairable, as sustainable and as fairly sourced as possible. They do have their issues, but compared to other big phone companies they've done a great job with this. Now it appears that Fairphone is [due to announce](https://forum.fairphone.com/t/keep-club-fairphone-web-how-to-enter/99985/3?u=andreaschris) the so called 'Fairphone Keep Club' on the 14th of September - a bonus program as we all know it. You buy stuff, you get points for what you buy, and when you've got enough points you can redeem them to buy more stuff. The [keep club website](https://shop.fairphone.com/loyalty) claims that it's *the only rewards program that gives back to those who keep their Fairphones as long as possible*, but judging by the listed 'challenges' it appears that the most efficient way to gain points is to simply buy new stuff. Personally I'm a bit torn on this, due to the idealistic viewpoints I tend to judge Fairphone under in accordance with their stated sustainability goals. I do realize that is a much higher standard than the big-players in the phone industry achieve. I also get that Fairphone wants to build its brand identity and create incentives to keep customers and sell their products. But at the same time I can't help but think that in the end that program is an incentive to be less sustainable, as it ultimately provides you with those fancy points as a psychological incentive to buy the newest and latest Fairphone product. So I wanted to bring this topic into a wider community that may not currently be as deep in the Fairphone bubble: Do you think such bonus programs will rather help spread the idea of a more repairable, sustainable approach to phones, or will it rather serve as an incentive to artificially shorten a phone's lifecycle by prematurely buying a new one? And more generally speking: Do you think advertising strategies rooted in consumerism and classic capitalistic company goals are compatible with sustainable product lifecycles somehow, despite not exactly having aligned interests?

Sorry for the all caps, but its the video title.

Hey! I'm looking for an app or browser with a good reading mode, preferably with images too, of website articles. So many websites put random shit between paragraphs that break up the article, and not just ads so using an adblocker doesn't help much. For example, I saw this article about my city: https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/37178834/new-train-station-opens-europe-city-break/ And it's just a shitty experience to read the article, I just want the text and images. I tried Firefox reading mode but it doesn't do a great job a lot of the time (including this article), like not removing the right stuff and even removing parts that are actually the article. Very much prefer a FOSS app, searched around a bit but didn't really find anything.

I had been using the phenomenal Breezy Weather for quite a while. It has built in integration with my launcher, provides a variety of configurations, and looks great. Here's why I switched to Overmorrow. Overmorrow is on another level in terms of design. It uses well selected photos sourced from the copyleft Unsplash as the background, which indicate different weather conditions and times of day (and possibly other factors, like location, although I haven't tested it that extensively or examined the codebase). The background is responsive as you scroll the app, which is a nice touch. The minimalist icons used for weather and time of day make it easy to read at a glance at any size. To be honest, I was not a fan at first. They are almost *too* minimal for me. As I've grown accustomed to seeing them, it is clear the attention to detail that has been invested in each one. Unlike Breezy Weather, the icon pack can't be changed. Breezy is a more mature app, so it makes sense that it has a few more customizations and integrations available. Breezy offers over a dozen widgets, while Overmorrow offers just 5. The widgets available with Overmorrow cover all the basics, although I found one or two idiosyncrasies. The hourly mode could benefit from more configurability, and a weekly preview widget is missing entirely. For me that's not really a necessity, but might be a dealbreaker for others. Opening the app, it feels very much like a complete solution. The information offered is detailed and displayed extremely thoughtfully. There are obvious settings like units and weather sources, but also full control of what and in which order information is displayed. Put what's important to you at the top, and less important stuff lower down (or leave it off completely). Everything is snappy and intuitive. Colors can be customized or set based on your wallpaper, or the current weather conditions. The transitions between screens and updates are cleverly and subtly animated. The entire experience is crisp, smooth, and modern. My favorite feature is the radar view, which is just as snappy and intuitive as the rest of the app. Press play to see the recent radar animated, or tap to see it in full screen view and look around. It can be super helpful in looking out for incoming weather, or visualizing how quickly a shower will blow over. And it's something conspicuously missing from some other apps. Overall, the beautiful design, frictionless UI, and features make this one a winner for me. [Source code](https://github.com/bmaroti9/Overmorrow) [IzzyOnDroid](https://apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid/index/apk/com.marotidev.Overmorrow/) [Play Store](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.marotidev.Overmorrow)

Hello, world! Is it possible to somehow remove an unlocked bootloader warning on newer Motorola phones? I’ve tried to flash custom logo.bin via fastboot flash logo command. Boot logo has changed but the warning hasn’t been removed. Instead it just became plain text (as well as whole fastboot menu). Would be grateful for any of you suggesting something ;)

I'm thinking about making a return from Garmin in the near future with Samsung announcing the Galaxy Watch 6 making a return with the ever-so-popular rotating bezel, and Google is now focused on their own Pixel Watch. For people who are currently using a WearOS device, what are your thoughts on the current state of the platform as a smartwatch and fitness tracker as of mid 2023?

Since a few folks seem [unaware of this]( https://lemmy.ca/comment/8752266), I'm posting anew for visibility.

*Edit*: Samsung Keyboard (in the personal profile) was reinstalled probably after a system update and was the culprit. The issue is now solved. Thank you for your comments. I have made a work profile using Shelter. I was copy-pasting some stuff in my personal profile while the work profile was disabled. Later, I discovered everything I had copied was showing up in Samsung Keyboard’s clipboard history (in the work profile). Personal profile’s Samsung Keyboard was uninstalled via ADB (among some other packages like Google Play Services), implying a different package is doing this. How can I find the culprit? (I’d love to just install LineageOS on it but there isn’t a built for the device yet. I just don’t use it for sensitive stuff.) I might have a lead: whatever it is probably has the READ_CLIPBOARD_IN_BACKGROUND permission, but I wasn't able to find it. Is there an adb command to list all packages with a specific permission, perhaps?

I work at home mainly and would like to be able to play podcasts from my TV (Fire TV). I tried one or two apps from the regular app store and they were crap. I also tried AntennaPod side-loaded but some functions just don't work right. I'm trying to avoid using YouTube as well, plus fuck their dumb ads. Before anyone says, "Use your phone," I try to keep my phone far away while I work to avoid it distracting me. I could use it to play episodes still but then I don't have a remote to pause or skip or adjust volume. Any suggestions?

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.

This could also potentially mean that Steam itself comes to Android (at least in the EU) to allow cross-buy and cross-progression.

Not sure if this is the correct place to post, but I just wanna kinda rant a bit. I'm not the only one that hates this, right? An app can just do a "This App Does Not Allow Screenshots"? Like... wtf? Like, its my phone, and some app can just decide to disable a fuction of my phone. It's my phone and if I wanna take a screenshot, I'm taking a screenshot. I don't care about whatever "security" the app developer wants. Imagine if every online shopping app whether fast food or amazon, just used this to block you from taking a screenshot so you can't save the records in case of a dispute. Which android developer thought it was a good idea to let an app disable a function on your phone. Even iPhone doesn't have this stupid concept. Sorry for the rant. Anyone wanna share your stories? (P.S. I have a cheap secondary phone to take photos of the screen. "This App Does Not Allow Screenshots" my ass lmao, I'm taking the screenshot whether the app wants it or not.