Android MKBHD's 2020 Blind Smartphone Camera test polls are now live!

MKBHD's 2020 Blind Smartphone Camera test polls are now live!
Google prepares to decouple new emojis from Android system updates
Updates to Google Fit on Wear OS
[DISCUSSION] In 2020, is it still a viable strategy to buy a phone with the intention to unlock/root/custom ROM when official software support ends? Especially if you want to keep using banking apps, Netflix, etc.?
Google testing paid crowdsourcing service ‘Task Mate’

MKBHD's 2020 Blind Smartphone Camera test polls are now live!

Posted: 23 Nov 2020 01:54 PM PST

submitted by /u/notathrowaway75
[link] [comments]

Google prepares to decouple new emojis from Android system updates

Posted: 24 Nov 2020 03:09 AM PST

submitted by /u/armando_rod
[link] [comments]

Updates to Google Fit on Wear OS

Posted: 23 Nov 2020 04:20 PM PST

submitted by /u/bilal4hmed
[link] [comments]

[DISCUSSION] In 2020, is it still a viable strategy to buy a phone with the intention to unlock/root/custom ROM when official software support ends? Especially if you want to keep using banking apps, Netflix, etc.?

Posted: 23 Nov 2020 06:03 AM PST

This is something I realised while I was trying to choose a replacement phone for my aging OnePlus 3T.

Ever since the first Android phones, it used to be relatively easy to extend your device's useful life after its official software support ended - you could just unlock it, slap a custom ROM on it, and use it for another couple of years.

You could even buy phones on hardware merits alone, and disregard software entirely. No more software updates? Bloatware? Buggy or unstable OS? Not liking the OEM skin? As long as unlocking the bootloader was a possibility, you could always switch to a custom ROM and solve any of these issues.

Also, depending on the ROM, there would be virtually no drawbacks - for example, my OP3T is snappy as ever on the official LineageOS 17.1 ROM, and thanks to Magisk Hide, there are no issues with SafetyNet breaking my banking apps.

However, this may no longer be the case going forward.

With SafetyNet hardware attestation around the corner, the days of hiding root may be numbered any day - basically, all Google needs to do is flick the switch, and it will no longer be possible to unlock your bootloader without tripping SafetyNet. This locks you out of banking and authentication apps, downgrades streaming quality, and possibly more in the future (since any app can make use of the SafetyNet API - I'm looking at you, McDonalds).

Now, there's no telling when (or even if) this new SafetyNet implementation is coming. But when it does, it means choosing between using a custom ROM with broken apps, or going back to stock.

But also, specifically for everyone who is in the market for a phone right now, it means taking a gamble: will it still be possible to unlock/root/customise a few years down the line, without tripping SafetyNet and possibly breaking essential apps?

In other words: if you're buying a phone today, and you want software support for as long as possible, is it still a viable option to buy a phone with the intention to unlock/root/custom ROM a few years down the line? Or should you just go for a phone with longer official support (i.e. Pixel or iPhone)?

What would you guys do, if you were buying a phone today? Would the ability to unlock and customise it in a few years still be a consideration when choosing a new device?

submitted by /u/ZeGuitarist
[link] [comments]

Google testing paid crowdsourcing service ‘Task Mate’

Posted: 24 Nov 2020 03:09 AM PST