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

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 !?

I learned only yesterday that Google is going to effectively shut down open android. So I'm gonna have to move away from there. But what are my options? Is there a nice website that lists and compares alternatives? I hear that Graphene is the goat, but I'm not on a pixel phone. Currently I'm on a Samsung galaxy a15 I hear about lineageOS as a good second, but it sounds like Google's decision to close down android might affect lineage too. I hear about others, but I'm not too well versed in running obscure OS.

Hello everyone! Is there any alternative to android auto for a degoogled phone running microG? I mean, one that can connect on " android auto ready” devices.

cross-posted from: https://thelemmy.club/post/45175566

upcoming OnePlus device, rumored to have a massive 7800mAh battery (per Wccftech). and it would absolutely smoke the 5,000 and 4,685mAH batteries in the Galaxy S25 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max. Instead, Apple and Samsung seem to be prioritizing thinness at all costs, **for reasons that aren't entirely clear beyond aesthetics and bragging rights**. It's been years since I've heard anyone complain about how thick a phone is, if not a decade or more. Complaints have trended in the opposite direction, I'd say -- without a case, some phones can be so thin and slippery that they're hard to grip securely. Even my wife's OnePlus 9 5G has that issue. A few foldables, like Google's Pixel 9 Pro Fold , are so thin when open that they feel like they might bend or snap.

I'm having trouble finding a good WiFi or Bluetooth walkie app. Both of them on f droid are too old to run on android 16

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.

Google Pixel 8 (128GB): $699 / €799 / £699 Google Pixel 8 Pro (128GB): $999 / €1,099 / £999

I'm looking for a file manager or gallery app that will let me browse to particular directories easily (prefer a file manager interface for this), look at images I find in them, and (this seems to be the really hard part) easily rename them _while I'm looking at them._ I don't want a conventional gallery app that just presents one huge list of all the folders it found anywhere on my device, as there can be several with the same name, and it's tedious to figure out what directory each one is under. I need to be able to go to a particular directory, look at the images within, and rename them while looking at them - the quicker & easier the better. Help?

If you’ve immersed yourself in to the world of Pokémon you’ll be excited to find out that you can add another level to your obsession thanks to the debut of the Pokémon Sleep app on the Play Store. Ostensibly aiming to help you get a better sleep routine, the Pokémon Sleep app will track your sleeping habits via your smartphone and use Pokémon to show how you slept and let your research them to achieve a ‘Sleep Style Dex’. All you need to do is to download the Pokémon Sleep app to your smartphone (or buy a Pokémon Go Plus+ companion device) and place said device next to your pillow (not under) so it can track your sleep. The Pokémon Sleep app has the following features: See Your Sleep Score and Sleep Type: You can get a sense of what your sleep was like by checking your sleep score, which is based on how long you slept. And how about your sleep type? You may be deemed to be “dozing,” “snoozing,” or “slumbering” type for the night, based on how much you moved in your sleep. Check Out Your Sleep Trends: You can look back in detail on how regular your sleep has been on a week-by-week basis. You may discover new insights into your sleep as you check your past trends, such as what time you tend to hit the hay on different days of the week. Let Soothing Sounds Support Your Sleep: With features like Pokémon-inspired music to relax you into sleep, plus smart alarms that wake you when you’re in a shallow stage of sleep, Pokémon Sleep may help you to rest your very best. Review Audio Recorded When You Sleep: Various noises detected during your sleep tracking will be automatically recorded. You can play these recordings back and hear your snores and sleep talk or environmental noises, such as from traffic or wind. What A Day Looks Like in Pokémon Sleep: When Night Falls…: It’s time to track your sleep! All you need to do is place your smart device by your pillow, then call it a night. A New Day Dawns: By the time you wake, Pokémon will have gathered in Pokémon Sleep based on your sleep type and how long you slept. Carry out research on these Pokémon’s sleep styles to complete your Sleep Style Dex! And the Rest of the Day…: Raise Snorlax big and strong! Snorlax will grow larger by receiving Berries from the Pokémon you befriend. The more you raise Snorlax, the greater your odds will be of encountering Pokémon with rare sleep styles!

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'm pretty bad with self control, and I've noticed that I'm spending too much time on Lemmy/Reddit, so I grabbed BlockApp to moderate my usage. So far, it works really well. I appreciate that I can limit usage to x minutes an hour, as well as y minutes daily. It has a block screen, rather than killing the app like Digital Wellbeing. It isn't perfect, but it's a good bandaid for poor impulse control.

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

As if the AI bandwagon cannot get any more crazier.

It's open source and I'd like some feedbacks, as you can see I such at designing mobile apps. Also, if you have any feature recommendations it would be nice to hear about My idea is to setup a background service that keeps all accounts you want synced using instances APIs [Lemmy Handshake](https://github.com/gusVLZ/lemmy_handshake)

Hi guys. I've been testing some SMS applications, but I've been encountering an error java.lang.nullpointerexception: t... I can't read the rest, so how can I resolve this error without having to use the Samsung application again?

Here is a video of android apps: https://youtu.be/L7ZEUvl2oXA

My partner plays a game and listens to a podcast for relaxing. In-game she turned off any sound but the constant ads every few minutes still start with sound. Is it possible to mute the game app in the Android settings?

I enjoyed that brief Android Chrome experiment where the browser supported moving the address bar to the bottom. Now that feature has been made available on iOS, but remains AWOL on Android.

Hello, I have a shiny new 5G connexion which I intend to use as a complement to my bad home internet. I see very different speeds depending on the method, using speedtest.net: - Directly from the phone: ~200Mbps - From the PC, using the native USB internet sharing feature: slow ramp up to ~30Mbps - From the PC, using "PdaNet" in USB debug mode: slow ramp up to ~200Mbps I don't understand why the native method would be slower, a lot of people on the internet mention that ISPs tend to throttle tethering, but PdaNet has a feature to hide the tethering and I get the nice speed without using this feature. The PdaNet approach is a more cumbersome with specific applications both on the PC and the phone. Anyone knows of a method to improve the native USB internet sharing? - Phone: Fairphone 4 - Android 12 - ISP: Sosh (subsidiary of Orange, France) - PC: Windows 10

Hi everyone, I have an old galaxy note 8 that I would like to flash and get a Linux based OS on it. I recently put lineage OS on my galaxy tab s6 and it's working great, but it looks like lineage doesn't support the note 8. I heard about cyanogenMod but it seems like thats discontinued. I just have some games I want to play from the Google play store, so my needs are basic, so just having a simple OS for games that the devs are keeping up to date would be great. Thanks!

I have been loving Native Alpha. Being able to use web versions of apps and not be forced to hand over absurd privacy violating permissions is awesome. My only problem is it appears to run straight off of Chrome's web engine, and I would rather use Firefox. In large part because of extensions/addons.

> Files by Google has rolled out a new PDF viewer after previously relying on Google Drive. Primarily, this new PDF viewer provides...

This phone has everything that I am looking for in a <6" form factor. Its release date is June 29. Really looking forward to it!

> Ahead of a bigger update to let you access saved Tab Groups, Chrome for Android is adding the ability to color-code them...

> Following Verizon, Spectrum Mobile and Xfinity Mobile are adding satellite messaging on Google Pixel 9 and Samsung Galaxy S25 devices.

cross-posted from: https://programming.dev/post/124934 > ## Feedback and criticism is welcome and encouraged! > > This is a small jetpack compose app that I'm currently making for android devices to browse... federated link agregators (Lemmy, kbin etc.). > > I promise I'm not *just* bandwagon-ing. However, I thought that the current situation could make for a good excuse to learn android development/mobile design (something I've never actually done before). > > Some notes: > - This application **will** be open source. I think it's just a bit too early to share it right now. [^1] > - Some icons are placeholders, e.g. "upvote" and "downvote" are upload and download at the minute. > - Some of the padding and card-style is inconsistent in the mockups I've shared here. > - There are quite a few "language-choice" issues. Most notably the vague term "Mods" on the profile page (this refers to the communities the profile moderates). I plan to adjust this through development (and as the mainstream fediverse establishes itself). > - I'm doing this for selfish reasons like "fun" and "education", so there aren't any guarantees for a fully working... anything... > - If I was to do this for altruistic reasons, I'd contribute to [Jerboa](https://github.com/dessalines/jerboa) which seems to be undergoing a lot of development from what I can tell on GitHub, > > [^1]: If you're on the tildeverse, I've already open-sourced it to tildegit. I'm also tracking my progress over there: https://tildegit.org/delph.seiji/lemulink.

Hi all. I just got a new Pixel 8. It's my first Android phone. My work uses Google Workspace but doesn't use work profiles or manage devices in any way. I'd like to be able to do the following from my phone. - Check email - Check calendar - Join Google Meet meetings I looked around to see what our IT person might be able to see if I add this account in the phone's settings, but I could only find stuff related to work profiles. Anyone know? Any reason I shouldn't add it this way? Thanks in advance!