Minor gripe: I had find it better if the article elaborated if phones had a SD card slot or not. This phone ships with 128 GB base storage which is a problem if there is no SD card slot but not a big thingy if expandable options are present. As for 3.5mm Jack, Samsung only has them in their cheapest lineup now I think.

https://9to5google.com/2026/01/27/android-desktop-leak/

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 love FOSS apps that are made for for everyone to use and help improve lives. But I also love apps that someone clearly made to address a very specific problem that they were solving. I love to imagine the person struggling and thinking, "someone *must* have already made an app for this. I can't be the *only* one who needs help manually counting the transportation percentage at a series of crossings!" Then finally doing the [Thanos](https://d2thvodm3xyo6j.cloudfront.net/media/2017/01/9f57282815be53dc-600x338.gif) thing and just knocking out an entire app to share with the world.

I'm sorry if this sounds like a stupid question but why won't android just straight up run like Linux distros that almost run on any computer? Why does each model under each manufacturers require separate maintainors seperately? Aren't they running like almost similar hardware like processors from Qualcomm, mediatek, Exynos, etc? Why hasn't there been a single android os that is compatible with all the device?

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.

My Zenfone 8 is getting old. I love this smartphone as it runs perfectly smooth despite its age and easily fits in every pocket. However, more and more problems start to pop up. The internet connection is unstable and I need to restart the phone once in a while for the internet to start working again. The battery is really weak. It even struggles to get past the day. I am even considering getting another one, perhaps with a broken screen, to replace the mainboard in mine, but this phone is not getting security updates anymore, so I think it may be finally the time to buy a completely new phone. What am I looking for: - At least 1 year old. Yes, you read that right. I want to see long-term reviews and experiences with servicing. New phones often appear super fast in the store and then start lagging just a few months after buying. And also there's a chance to get an older model at a decent price. - Relatively small. I know that it's rare to see a phone with less than 6 inch screen, so it's not a hard requirement. I'm even considering getting a foldable as used ones are getting cheaper, but I worry that with me dropping things once in a while, it's not a good idea. - Clean software. This is subjective of course, but Zenfone 8 has almost pure Android with only a few noninvasive things added by ASUS (like smaller tiles!). Any ads are a no-go. - Inexpensive. I don't need a flagship, I need something I can rely on. And I'm piss poor currently, so I really rather not spend all my money on a phone.

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

#android #smarphone

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.

What part of an android device is responsible for carrier locking? I understand that custom ROMs can sometimes be used to bypass a carrier lock, but how might I go about making such a ROM from stock? This is complicated somewhat by the fact that the actual device I have, an Orbic Speed RC400L, isn't technically an android device; it runs busybox/linux, but its bootloader, adbd, and cellular systems seem to be android-like. I'm happy to experiment if someone can provide resources for the general android case.

Does anyone know of an app that will search all installed icon packs for a term?

I wonder if there is something subpar about whoever Google is getting the batteries from for the A series phones.

We are writing to inform you about changes to your Google Pay experience. As we continue to provide safe and seamless payments to users around the world, we are also simplifying the app experience in the U.S. For years, Google Wallet has been the primary place to securely store payment cards used for tap and pay in stores, alongside your other digital items like transit cards, driver’s license or state IDs, and more. While in-store and online payments via Google Pay are unchanged, the U.S. version of the standalone Google Pay app will no longer be available for use starting June 4, 2024. Anywhere you normally use Google Pay — from checking out online to tapping and paying in stores — remains the same. If you use your Android phone to shop in stores where Google Pay is accepted, you can continue to tap to pay in stores with the Google Wallet app. Learn more about Google Wallet. Here are the key changes and important dates: • As of today you will no longer be able to view or activate deals in the app. If you previously activated a deal, and are still waiting for cash back, regular reward timelines apply. We know finding the best deal is important when shopping, which is why we launched a new deals destination on Search. • Changes to peer-to-peer payments: As of June 4, 2024, you will no longer be able to send money to, request, or receive money from others through the U.S. version of the Google Pay app. • Manage your Google Pay balance from the Google Pay app until June 4, 2024: You can use the U.S. version of the Google Pay app until June 4, 2024 to view and transfer your Google Pay balance to your bank account. You can continue to view and transfer your funds to your bank account after June 4, 2024 from the Google Pay website. Learn more about transferring money out of Google Pay. Source: email update [Edit: post title and source]

I imagine certain features like Google Maps' different busyness indicators might be missing because otherwise that would require telemetry?

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

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.

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)

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.

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.

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?