**The Fairphone 4**, as nominated by [@[email protected]](https://lemmy.world/u/be_gt)! As promised, you will be receiving 1 Lemmy Silver, and of course, bragging rights.  But, we also have an honorary Golden Lemmy award, which goes to... **Every Android device that is not the Samsung Galaxy S22+**, as nominated by [@[email protected]](https://discuss.online/u/OpenStars)! You get 1 Lemmy Silver (and bragging rights) too!  That's it for this year's Golden Lemmy, folks! (Nomination thread is [here](https://lemmy.world/post/10291122) for future references.)

Previously: [Submission Statement Edition](https://lemmy.world/post/3297922) Haven't done these in a while, so let's get started. 1. Since we haven't really heard any feedback one way or the other, *rule 8 is now official*. To be fair, we've had a lot less microblog posts than I expected (only one Twitter/X post in the last month even after I waited longer than the initial 1-2 weeks expected, and that was a crosspost.) - Again, the rules are always a work in progress, feel free to give your two cents here whenever you like. 2. As you guys know, PipedLinkBot went completely insane 2 days ago and looks like it's temporarily shut down. So, I'd like to use this opportunity to explain why I banned the bot pretty much immediately after our community reopened. (And gloat a bit, of course) - Even though I do agree with the principle of using open source, privacy focused frontend instead of using Youtube directly, I have a real problem with using a bot to respond every time somebody posts a Youtube link. It feels like spam, and it doesn't feel like it serves any utility besides pushing an agenda (even though many people here would agree with it). Most people have seen it around here enough to use pipedvideo if they wanted it to use it already. - I think it's always been a rage inducing part of the reddit experience that you see you received a response to your comment, but only have it been a bot smugly correcting your grammar or tell you all your letters are in order or something useless like that. So, for this place, I would like to make sure that everyone you talk to here is a real person as much as possible, because people inspire people to be greater, but bots don't.

I have a pixel 6a with graphene installed. I want to transfer everything to a second pixel 6a but the digitizer is toast. I tried mouse via usb a to c dongle to get in and back stuff up, but it doesn't work on lock screen presumably until it is unlocked once with the mouse plugged in, as with the new one. really any backup method that can work will do if there are any.

I currently use a normal tablet for watching lectures + taking notes in splitscreen mode, but I've been thinking that this would be the ideal device for my workflow. Essentially a hinged, dual-pane tablet with stylus support – prefarably with Android. Does anyone know if something like this exists, or if there are any tablets that I can buy a second hinged screen for?

> The latest Android Auto beta has randomly led to the Google app showing up, but its purpose is unclear. Last...

It has much less bloatware than the stock Samsung ROM, the thing is that I feel it's unstable. You do get Galaxy AI as well, and the Vulcan Updates app is a bit broken (at least in my case). Good ROM? Yes.

From fast4x in the RiMusic Telegram channel: > Hi all, i can only say that i am very sorry and that unfortunately the project cannot continue to be a music streaming app based on YouTube. It is unfortunate this happened to such a good FOSS music streaming app. Hopefully, someone can continue it. To all the people who contributed to RiMusic all this time, thank you for making a great music streaming app! As well, thank you fast4x for working hard each week to get RiMusic to where it is.

... or are notifications just really bad on Android? For background, we've got an old, sick, dog and my wife often needs to get help from me urgently. I'm still running an old Pixel 4a - it worked really well for me until Google crippled the battery and even now it works well enough that I'm not tempted to upgrade. My notifications always seem to be delayed - in batches. I have 3 buildings on my property and each has a Nest doorbell. Some days I can be walking around and I'll constantly hear ding, ding, ding as I walk past each doorbell. Other days I can walk around and hear nothing, and then I'll get 5-10 notifications all at once. Today was a perfect example of why this is so frustrating - I'm sitting at my desk with my phone in front of me. It's plugged in an charging. My phone starts ringing and it's my wife upset that I have not responded to her messages. I go help her with the dog and come back to my phone and sure enough, 8 minutes ago there's a notification from Google Chat, 6 minutes ago there's a notification from Google Messages and 4 minutes ago there's the phone call. The Google Chat and Google Messages notifications never came through - until the phone call came in! I've been through and made sure that all the battery optimisations are turned off for all the apps that I want instant notifications from - but that shouldn't have any impact here - my phone was plugged in. Is this normal Android? (kinda rhetorical question - I've been running Android since my Nexus 4 and don't think this is normal but it feels like it's somehow the "new" normal) I'm not running the stock Pixel launcher - does the launcher get involved in notification delivery at all?

> A bug in Android 16 Beta 3.1 actually might be something we'd like to see as a custom option for lockscreen clock settings.

Hello, I was looking to make a custom ROM for my device as a hobby project however I have zero knowledge of Android. I have never compiled AOSP myself nor used a custom ROM for a long time. It would be great if we have a Android wiki like we have Arch wiki Thanks in advance!

With all the latest bad news from Xiaomi, where to go to buy a new phone with an unlockable bootloader today? I used to buy Samsung, then moved to xiaomi, now what? Unlock the boatloader is a basic requirement for me as at the very minimum I want root and preferably lineageos down the road.

Apparently Android apps (even in current Android versions) can check for the presence of other Android apps by listing the apps they want to check for in their manifest file. Nothing stops them from listing dozens or hundreds of other apps, and some do exactly that. Up til Android 11 they didn't even have to list the other apps in the manifest. Then Google "tightened" things to be almost as bad. Dumb move, Android.

The shield is a great device, but I'm starting to notice some considerable lag at times. Before I factory reset it, is there a good alternative? I have an older Apple TV I'm going to try but I'd prefer to stay Android. Features I'd want are * Android TV * Netflix and Jellyfin support * Powerful / fast * Similar codec support, however only for compatibility. I'm not needing HDR or Atmos etc. Some of my family are deaf so we watch with subtitles and have a simple speaker setup.

> 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 currently use an iPhone, but given the recent attacks made by the US president and members of his administration on my country (tariffs, annexation threats,etc) I am loathe to support any company based out of that nation any longer. Obviously I know that it is likely impossible to get a functional mobile experience with zero US corporate involvement, but what is the least possible I could do and still be practical? A degoogled fair phone device? Something Chinese running a custom rom like lineage os? I want to sell my iPhone and Apple Watch ASAP and get something that won’t have my sending money to the US via my app purchases (store cut), monthly services (iCloud), and my data being used/sold. Thanks!

> Google is adjusting how Android is made, with the AOSP branch moving behind closed doors, leaving the entire OS to be privately developed.

> Building bridges without blue bubbles.

> It’s no secret that Gemini is coming to Android Auto soon, but it’s not here just yet. Ahead of the...

I've got some smart home devices that need to be setup by another device on the same WiFi network, but it has to be 2.4ghz network. My modern android phone insists on connecting to the 5ghz network and so can't complete the setup. Currently, I use an old android tablet that only connects to 2.4ghz to get round this, but it's clunky. Previously I've changed the WiFi network to produce seperate ssids for the two bands, but I'd rather not have to switch these settings around everytime I need to modify something. What I want is a system setting in android or an app that forces my phone to turn off its wireless N capabilities and only use the 2.4ghz band. My searching and reading stackoverflow posts suggest this just isn't possible, but surely that's not true?! It seems like a simple enough option to have! Tldr : how to force my phone to connect on 2.4hgz WiFi rather than 5ghz

I have been using different apps for years to follow my favorite teams and leagues. I used Bleacher Report for a while and then a few others. Problem always is at some point they get enshitified and start covering the pages with ads, sports betting, and send pushy notifcations. I really just want something that will let me see the games being played today and send me notifcations when the games start.

> The Google Play Store has a Nearby Share-powered method for sending apps on your device to others, but this is now going away...

> A new update to the Find My Device app has landed, bringing with it a new two-tab UI and support...

> We just learned that Gemini is replacing Google Assistant on Android. Google quietly announced that Assistant is losing 7 more features.

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/58870060 > I've been using Samsung Internet for a very long time, knowing it isn't the best one for privacy. However, the user experience with it is, for me, unmatched by any other browser, including Vivaldi, Brave, and any Firefox forks. > > So here's what I'm looking for in a browser: > > - preferably FOSS > > - some control on privacy setting, less trackers/fingerprinting, etc. Doesn't have to be the most hardened. > > - decent dark mode for web pages (Dark Reader is OK) > > - bottom search bar > > - bottom tabs bar rather than tab switcher > > - a quit button I don't have to tap and scroll 2 times to find. Ideally it'd be placed on the main bottom bar > > - the quit button must clear cache and close all tabs, so I think it should be native and not an extension, but maybe I'm wrong? > > Is there any browser that can give me that? > > I'd love using Fennec as my main - and God knows I've tried multiple times to - but missing some of those feature made it hard for me to leave Samsung Internet behind. ATM I'm using both browsers BTW. > > Any suggestion is appreciated!

I have migrated my browser over to IronFox, but I have noticed that my banking apps dont like it for signing in. I'm wondering if there is an app that can change the default browser when certain apps are open, and then revert back when they are closed.

> Just over a year after its launch, Gemini is set to replace Google Assistant on Android phones later in 2025

> After testing got underway in January, Gboard is now widely rolling out Undo and Redo buttons/shortcuts on Android...

I share screenshots with the wife every day but somehow Tusky has grabbed the share sheet target, and always wants me to share to a mastodon account I rarely use and I can't seem to replace it with my usual Signal target for my wife. Ideas?

> Over the past day, some users have reported that their Google Maps Timeline is missing. As of December, Google Maps has...

> Google has once again teased the next Android 16 preview with Beta 3 officially coming Thursday, March 13...

> Google is preparing to add support for notification summaries in Android 16, as evidenced by strings in the latest beta.

> Google Messages has addressed slowdowns, failures, and other issues with receiving media in Android’s RCS app.

> Google’s Firebase platform also hosted configuration settings used by the apps.

I never update until there are a few months of other people using it to get feedback. did they fuck up anything major? anything irritating?

> Google released a new Android 16 beta earlier this week and, hiding beneath the scenes, there are more new features...

> A bug in the YouTube app is causing Shorts to immediately open and start playing, making for a slightly frustrating experience.

> Google has released the first Android Auto 14.0 update through its beta program and while there are no major user-facing...

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/58557378 If you want to save this list, I suggest doing so with the [original post](https://lemm.ee/post/58557378), as I'll keep it updated with new entries. > **Latest entries - February 15th, 2025:** > > - **[Kitty Q](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.kamibox.quantumcat) - Adventure** > > **February 2nd, 2025:** > > - **[Master of War - Forces of Eo](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.it_huskys.SpellForce_2_Master_of_War_4_0) - Strategy** > > **January 7th, 2025:** > > - **[Turdbots](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.FrameNotPerfect.Turdbots) - Adventure** > >   > > **Introduction** > > *(scroll down for the actual list)* > > I recently realized there are still, to this day, some actual "hidden gems" in the Play Store. Not the fake ones everyone talks about which, in a way or another, often have a catch or aren't very "hidden". I mean free games with no ads or IAPs of any kind that are fun to play. > > So I was thinking maybe it's time to compile a list of them. Please suggest the ones you've found and enjoyed! > > I won't try them all as I did with my premium games list [will update with link as soon as I post it], because this time you could simply download and try them for yourself without spending a dime. I'll simply list them. > > ‼️**Also, please do checkout [MiniReview - Game Reviews](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=minireview.best.android.games.reviews) for more free games that match the following criteria (use the "Browse" tab and select the correct filters). The same app for iOS - App Store - is [here](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/minireview-game-reviews/id6477473021).**‼️ > >   > > **Entry Criteria** > > - **FREE** > - **NO ADS** > - **STRICTLY NO IAPs** (except donation buttons, but I'll have to check before adding the game to the list, so no guarantees it'll be added quickly) > - it has to be a legit game, of course. Full, not demo. > - it has to be available on the Play Store and compatible with the latest, official Android version at the time of writing/updating (14) > - possibly include a link to the game on the Play Store > > I've saved this post so to keep it updated over time, for my own reference and for your benefit. So feel free to save it and check out new entries every so often. > >   > > ## **THE LIST** > >   > > **Legend** > > ☕️ - *includes a fair donation button, with or without minimal cosmetics only* > > ~~[Game title]~~ - *removed from Play Store* > >   > > ### **Shooters** > > - [Zombotron Re-Boot](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ru.antkarlov.zombotron) > > - [Pico Hero](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cappy1.picohero) > > - [PewPew Live](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jyaif.pewpewlive) (from MiniReview top chart) > > - [Touhou ThousandNightAnamnesis](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.knead.TouhouTNA02) > > - ~~[Satryn](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=satryn.satryn)~~ > >   > > ### **Stealth** > > - [Mr Rumble - Stealth Action](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cappy1.stealth) > >   > > ### **Platform** > > - ~~[SuperTux](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.lethargik.supertux2)~~ > > - ~~[SuperTux Classic](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.godotengine.supertuxclassic)~~ > > - [Dribble](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mwojnar.Dribble.android) (outdated) > > - [Safari Forever w/ Level Editor](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chumpware.safariforever) (from MiniReview top chart) > > - [Fast like a Fox](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.waybefore.fastlikeafox) > > - [Dock The Rocket](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.netherra.docktherocket) > > - ~~[Bad Trip](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.badtripdevs.badtrip)~~ > >   > > ### **Rhythm** > > - [Phigros](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.PigeonGames.Phigros) > > - ~~[Lofi Ping Pong](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Calvares.LoFiPingPong)~~ > > - ~~[Orzmic](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.BigTrue.Orzmic)~~ > >   > > ### **Arcade** > > - [Smash Sector](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.woodsmoke.smashsector) > > - [Flex Armstrong](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.woodsmoke.FlexArmstrong) > >   > > ### **RPG** > > - [Adventure Seeker](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=paskalnikita.adventure.seeker) > > - [Andor's Trail](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gpl.rpg.AndorsTrail) > > - [Pathos: Nethack Codex](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.x10host.pathos) > > - [Emoji Quest [RPG]](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jusckeux.emojirpg) > >   > > ### **Roguelike dungeon crawlers** > > - [Angband (plus variants)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.rephial.xyangband) > > - [Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.develz.crawl) > > - [GnollHack](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.soundmindentertainment.gnollhack) > > - [Monk Tower](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.maciejglowka.monk_tower) > > - [Shattered Pixel Dungeon](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shatteredpixel.shatteredpixeldungeon) ☕️ > > - [Skillful Pixel Dungeon](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bilboldev.pixeldungeonskills) ☕️ > >   > > ### **Deck builders** > > - [Underhand](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.cornell.gdiac.underhand) > > - [Beecarbonize](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.charlesgames.beecarbonize) > >   > > ### **Adventure** > > - [Kitty Q](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.kamibox.quantumcat) > > - [Turdbots](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.FrameNotPerfect.Turdbots) > > - [Father and Son](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.tuomuseo.fatherandson) > > - [Please, Touch The Artwork 2](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.StudioWaterzooi.PleaseTouchTheArtwork2) > >   > > ### **Puzzle** > > - [Sudoku](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rachelmark.sudoku) > > - [Tetrix](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rachelmark.tetrix) > > - [Frozen Bubble](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.jfedor.frozenbubble) > > - [Water Sorting Puzzle](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.maddin.watersortpuzzle) > > - [Freeze! 2 - Brothers](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.frozengun.freeze2.google) > > - [Freeze!](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.frozengun.freeze) > > - [Empty.](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dustyroom.Empty) > > - [Skyward Joyrney](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.DanVogt.Fly) > > - [Simon Tatham's Puzzles](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=name.boyle.chris.sgtpuzzles) > > - ~~[Code challenges and puzzles](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nevolin.be.codr)~~ > > - [Pixics - Pixel art puzzle game](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=anduda.pixics) ☕️ > >   > > ### **Strategy** > > - [Master of War - Forces of Eo](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.it_huskys.SpellForce_2_Master_of_War_4_0) > > - [Opacha-mda](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=yio.tro.opacha) > > - [Antiyoy Classic](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=yio.tro.antiyoy.android) > > - [Unciv](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.unciv.app) > > - [Seedship](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.johnayliff.seedship) > > - [Mindustry](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.anuke.mindustry) > > - [Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cleverraven.cataclysmdda) > > - [Bounty Hunter Space Lizard](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=stayinsidegames.com.SIG.BHSL) > > - [Starrows](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.outerark.starrows) > > - [Lichess](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.lichess.mobileapp) > > - [Catacomb Chess](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.woodsmoke.game) > >   > > ### **Racing** > > - [SuperTuxKart](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.supertuxkart.stk) > > - [Data Wing](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.DanVogt.DATAWING) > > - [Vroomies](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nightlight.vroomies) > > - [Formula 2D - Steer to Persevere](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Zyg101.Formula2DSteertoPersevere) > > - [Night Riders Remastered](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=works.neko.nightriders1b) ☕️ > >   > > ### **Simulation** > > - [Parking Master](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.myslak.parkingmaster) > > - [The Powder Toy](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.powdertoy.tpt) > >   > > ### **Casual** > > - [Snake Game](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.puzzlepixelstudio.snake_game) > > - [Rabbit Run](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.puzzlepixelstudio.rabbit_run) > >   > > ### **Sport/Competition** > > - ~~[Rocket League Sideswipe](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Psyonix.RL2D)~~ > >   > > ### **Visual novel** > > - [EDDA Cafe](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eddacafe.nsaid) > > - [Butterfly Soup](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.briannalee.butterflysoup) ☕️ > > - [Butterfly Soup 2](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.briannalei.butterflysoup2) > > - [one night, hot springs](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.npckc.onsen) ☕️ > > - [Magical Witch Bell](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.npckc.bell) ☕️ > > - [Tomato Clinic](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.npckc.tomato) ☕️ > > - [tong jyun](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.npckc.tongjyun) ☕️ > >   > > Happy gaming ;) > > *ps: please let me know if there's any wrong information about the games included in this list (especially regarding the ones with free donations) so that I'll fix the post, if necessary.*

> Less than a week after the main release, Google is rolling out Android 16 Beta 3.1 to Pixel devices with a handful of fixes...