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    Android Daily Superthread (Oct 23 2021) - Your daily thread for questions, device recommendations and general discussions!

    October 24, 2021

    Android Daily Superthread (Oct 23 2021) - Your daily thread for questions, device recommendations and general discussions!

    Daily Superthread (Oct 23 2021) - Your daily thread for questions, device recommendations and general discussions!

    Posted: 23 Oct 2021 05:15 AM PDT

    Note 1. Check MoronicMondayAndroid, which serves as a repository for our retired weekly threads. Just pick any thread and Ctrl-F your way to wisdom!

    Note 2. Join our IRC and Telegram chat-rooms! Please see our wiki for instructions.

    Please post your questions here. Feel free to use this thread for general questions/discussion as well.

    The /r/Android wiki now has a list of recommended phones and covers most areas, the links have been added below. Any suggestions or changes are welcome. Please contact us if you would like to help maintain this section.

    Entry level (most affordable devices costing under $250 (US)/ $325 (Canada)/ €200 (Europe)/ £200/ ₹12,500 (India)

    Midrange section, covering the $250-500(US)/$300-700(Canada)/€200-500/£200-450/₹12,500-30,000 segment

    Flagship section, containing the most expensive devices with the highest end specifications

    submitted by /u/curated_android
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    Saturday APPreciation (Oct 23 2021) - Your weekly app recommendation/request thread!

    Posted: 23 Oct 2021 05:00 AM PDT

    Note 1. Check out our apps wiki for previous threads and apps curated by the reddit Android community!

    Download the official /r/Android App Store based on our wiki!

    Note 2. Check MoronicMondayAndroid, which serves as a repository for our retired weekly threads. Just pick any thread and Ctrl-F your way to wisdom!

    Note 3. Join our IRC and Telegram chat-rooms! Please see our wiki for instructions.

    This weekly Saturday thread is for:
    * App promotion,
    * App praise/sharing

    Rules:

    1) If you are a developer, you may promote your own app ONLY under the bolded, distinguished moderator comment. Users: if you think someone is trying to bypass this rule by promoting their app in the general thread, click the report button so we can take a look!

    submitted by /u/curated_android
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    Why is the android app space destroyed by ads, especially for kids apps?

    Posted: 24 Oct 2021 01:38 AM PDT

    This may be more of a rant than anything else but I've been an android user since the galaxy S1. I now have the S21 Ultra and my kids have the fireHD tablet with Google play installed.

    I limit the apps my kids have but today as an example, we downloaded an app to test called Animal Crossing.

    I'm not exaggerating, there's an ad banner constantly at the bottom of the screen, then after every 10 seconds of in game play, there are 3 consecutive video ads before you can resume play, again 10 seconds later the same happens again.

    This is disgusting, there's no ad free version of the game and this is just one example. For adult apps it's less intrusive and there are usually premium ad free experiences available.

    Go check out random kids apps, it's insane. I've tried 12 different kid free games alone and have to remove as they just aren't suitable. Not one game kept out of the 12 today.

    I am happy to pay for add free apps but the whole play store is riddled with shit quality apps that are only released to get kids to click ads.

    They are absolutely crap quality, terrible UI and graphical elements used, simply just made for showcasing ads.

    Why is this allowed, why is Google not better at preventing such shit quality apps on their store?

    For the first time I've bought an ipad and the app quality and ad experience on iOS is a whole different and better experience.

    I love the options we have on android and the phone specs etc but this app experience is awful.

    Developers release utter shit less than mvp apps and use the play store market to test instead of having a fully functioning app available.

    For kids, it's disgusting the way the digital world has moved to exploit their innocence, getting them to click on ads, ads mind you that aren't even suitable for their ages either.

    As a parent we have a responsibility to watch and control our kids digital usage but with the way Android is allowing any shitty apps to be released, infested with ads, its frustrating as a parent that you can't even find anything decent for them to play without being constantly interrupted with shit ads

    submitted by /u/BrokeBlackMountHim
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    2 hours review Pixel 6 : Photo comparison, Screen test, Temperature test, mic test and more

    Posted: 23 Oct 2021 09:02 AM PDT

    https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1WxmQSR-yTq_F4cYEKaTcHI9tJbnmA3zM?usp=sharing

    Hello,

    I just went to my local store to test the Pixel 6 (not the Pro).

    Photo, videos and mic test are provided in the link at the top of this post. I will leave to you the in depth analysis pixel by pixel. I am more interested in the immediate feeling I have about the phone because it fits my daily usage.

    I will start with the comparison of the photo, video and a mic comparison. My goal is to share with my impressions and my feel about the phone, not as an analyst but as a normal guy.

    Since english is not my native language and I don't have much time,

    Video Pixel 6 :

    There is no need for comparison on this one. My Mi8 is no match for the Pixel 6.Stabilization, colours accuracy, details everything was vastly improved. I can definitely feel the age of my mi8 on this one.

    The technology gap is huge on this one.

    Photo comparison Pixel 6 vs Xiaomi MI8 2018 (my current phone).

    I mostly compared the classic photo mode and the portrait mode. Both for front camera and rear camera. I cleaned all lens before shooting the pics.

    ​

    • Backcam
      • It's good, but I was expecting more. Especially about the details of the image.
    • Backcam portrait mode :
      • I can see a huge improvement. The details on me are way more crisp, the blur is fitting nicely around me and the dynamic range is vastly improved.
    • FrontCam Selfie :
      • Again I can see a clear advantage for the Pixel 6. The details are more present and the colors are way more accurate.
      • Also the light is not fuzzy like on my Mi8.
    • FrontCam Selfie Portrait mode
      • Again, I think overall the pixel is more accurate in the color tones and the details of the image. But I was kind of expecting a greater improvement.
      • The blur effect is nicer also.

    Microphone comparison Pixel 6 vs Xiaomi MI8 2018 (my current phone)

    The Pixel 6 microphone is better. It catches more details in my voice and it feels less muted. Even with the noise around me in the shop I can better hear my own voice.

    Not a transcending improvement though.

    Screen comparison Pixel 6 vs Xiaomi MI8 2018 vs Iphone 13 pro vs Samsumg S21 ultra

    I tested the different screens by starting from the worst one (mi8) to the best ones (Iphone 13 pro and S21)

    • Framerate
      • The first thing I noticed is the benefit of the 90 hz over my mi8. It way smoother than my 60 hz phone.
      • But, when compared side by side with a well integrated 120hz ( 13 pro or s21 ultra). You can feel it is even smoother on this ones.
    • Screen colour
      • mmm, I am mixed and this one. I was not able to change the color mode of the screen. So it is the basic "Demo mode" I would say. Against my MI8... The whites felt a bit yellowish and the black not as deep as the ones in my MI8. I used the same image for that comparison. (https://newevolutiondesigns.com/images/freebies/colorful-background-2.jpg).It was very evident to me that the iphone 13 pro and the s21 ultra have better colors.
    • Brightness :
      • On par with my MI8, but lower than the iphone 13 and the S21 ultra.It's enough for me. In the summer it will always be set to the maximum value for sure.

    ​

    Temperature stress test :

    For this test, I upload 1giga of data through LTE, and at the same time I let the phone record a video in 4K 60 fps for 15 minutes and screen set to max brightness.

    The phone temperature got hot, and a bit more around the top right corner area of the phone. It was not burning hot though.Then it needed 10 minutes to cooldown. I was still using it during that cooldown time. I was just not launching stressful task anymore. Just navigating through the pictures and the menu.

    Compared to my mi8. It felt like a similar experience. The pixel 6 is not a "cold" phone.Still, after a second though, I think my mi8 has got hotter from time to time.

    Sound comparison Pixel 6 vs Xiaomi MI8 2018 (my current phone).

    I played youtube music videos on both phones.The sound of the Pixel 6 is just better than my MI8 in all aspect. Again more detailed, more rich and also a bit louder.

    I would have expected it to be even louder, because I only have one speaker on my MI8 vs 2 for the pixel 6. But it was good !

    Conclusion about the phone and its features.

    I am happy with my preorder of the pixel 6. It will be a very good phone for sure. It is just not the top tier phone in every characteristic.But all around, a very capable and modern phone for 600 dollars or 650 euros.

    Regarding the phone usage, it fits well into my hand and the phone is smooth. I was able to switch from one menu to another menu very easily without noticing any stuttering.

    I am not a huge fan of android 12 visual appearance, so I will not comment on that. However I already feel like there is an option for anything and we should be able to customize the phone like we like it.

    I am now going to speak about the AI photo features like magic eraser and the motion feature.It's really fun and it works well !

    • The magic eraser worked better than my expectation in the shop.
    • The motion feature (where it blurs the moving object) works well. But you need to hold the phone straight for 1 solid second.

    To me it currently remains some side features and I doubt people will use them daily. But it is nice to have them and I think they will improve a lot with time.I really appreciate the effort google made into these, and I can't wait to see the progress on such functions.

    The thing I liked the most coming from mi MI8 :

    • Improved photo and image processing
    • Smoother than my MI8 (but not as smooth as the top tier competitors)
    • So much better video recording capabilities.
    • Excellent haptic feedback ! (I forgot to speak about that but it is so much better than my mi8)
    • The AI photo features (magic eraser / motion etc...) are really fun.
    • Screen (love the 90hz)

    The things that are ok :

    • Build quality, it's good, but it doesn't feel premium.
    • Screen colors (could be fixed by changing the tone mode)

    Things I didn't like :

    • The phone is quite big, I would have prefered a smaller size for the pixel 6.
    • The design, I do not like it at all. I won't talk much about that because it's personal. But seeing so many concurent around, I definitely felt more attracted by the competitors (even some chinese brands).

    I would recommend the phone to anyone, especially with the current offer associated with it in europe. (Bose headset).When the offer is not available anymore, I think it will remain solid recomendation for someone looking for a phone with "modern" features. However, at the 650 euro price range, I believe there are a lot of competitor that can seduce people depending on what you value in a smartphone.

    submitted by /u/Toulalaho
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    Unlocking Oculus Go

    Posted: 23 Oct 2021 02:59 PM PDT

    Pixel 6 Pro Pre-Ordered and Arriving Today (10/23)

    Posted: 23 Oct 2021 07:29 AM PDT

    Not sure if this is a mistake or they're just shipping early. But I ordered a black Pixel 6 Pro, nothing else, it shipped out via FedEx on Friday (yesterday) and is out for delivery today. I did not preorder from Google but my wireless carrier due to Google giving me a December delivery date. I have not seen anything from Google about launching/selling/shipping before the 10/28 launch date.

    Anyone else seeing this? Marked as Rumour currently as I haven't yet confirmed the contents of the delivery is what it is supposed to be.

    Update: Pixel 6 Pro arrived and I just set it up. So far, seems good. Haven't played around with it much yet. The in screen finger print reader is a little slower than a dedicated reader. Its more of touch and hold for a half second than touch and instant unlock. That's my big takeaway so far.

    Update 2: Geekbench 5 score: https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/10572171

    Update 3: Ran Geekbench 5 again, scores a little higher but close, 1040 and 2814.

    submitted by /u/556mm
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    Do you dual carry? If so, why?

    Posted: 23 Oct 2021 07:10 PM PDT

    I just started the dual carry life with a Unihertz Titan Pocket as my primary communicator with my Sim, and a Pixel 4a for anything that has to do with media watching, camera, financials, etc

    That way I feel like I have both worlds (though both are on Android 11)

    I got tired of the KEY2 and the aging Android 8 Ore-old.

    Those who dual carry: Do you feel like one device can't provide everything you want/need?

    submitted by /u/e_boon
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    Google's Pixel 6 update promise is not good enough

    Posted: 23 Oct 2021 10:57 AM PDT

    Android 12 - One step forward, ...

    Posted: 23 Oct 2021 12:37 PM PDT

    Got an update notification on my 4a. Contemplated a few days whether to update or not and decided to give it a shot.

    To be completely honest, I am a bit underwhelmed. I expected to notice the changes a lot more than I have so far. In fact unfortunately I have noticed what they ruined (in my opinion) more than what they've fixed/added.

    Here are some of the points that I like and dislike so far, if you haven't updated yet maybe it'll help you decide:

    • Rubber banding/edge bounce-back is everywhere! - I love that. This is what I noticed the most. I expected it to be only integrated into some application, but pretty much all existing applications support it. Some have mentioned here that they don't like the new edge bounce back, but I personally really like this feature, it's much better than abruptly running into the end of a list on previous Androids. Makes the UI feel more responsive and playful. My only gripe with it is that I think the animation itself is not done well. The UI stretches at the end of a list, rather than over-scrolling. I think it produces an unpleasant look. Maybe it was much easier to do than an over scroll? But I'd have preferred a simple over scroll animation like iOS has (no, BTW, I thought so too, but they don't have a patent on it). One scenario where the bounce-back does not work is when you have a list that does not need scrolling (all items fit on your screen). In that case no animation is played.

    • Notification center - There have already been a few threads done regarding the waste of space, padding and other issues with notifications, which I agree with. For myself, I am surprised there is no translucency at all. It's just one monotone black (dark theme) colour. Very odd.

    • You also can't tap on any of the items above the notification center, like your clock or date to open the relevant app. In Android 11 you could open the Calendar if you tapped on date; you could open the Timer if you tapped on time. You can't do any of that in Android 12. I think maybe there was a different team responsible for Android 12 notification center that didn't know the capabilities of it in Android 11 and simply missed it.

    • I like the big toggles and their arrangement as I always swiped fully open in Android 11 and them being bigger brings them lower making them easier to reach. Would be nice if there was an option to fully open them up with the first swipe, not requiring the second one though.

    • Something I noticed with the toggles is accidental taps when paging through them. Airplane, Nearby Share, GPay toggles sometimes get triggered when you tap on them to change pages.

    • Brightness slider is too thick - Not detailed enough. There are no notches, no response on how much you're changing the brightness by. I thought I'd like thick selection bars, but I really don't.

    • YouTube keeps playing in recents - This is nice. If you call recents from YouTube app, the video (audio) still keeps playing.

    • Recents background? Where is it? - Again, just like with the notification center, it's bland. Why not have translucent effects here or just keep the way it was in Android 11? How is this, better than this?

    • Recents is designed to skip one app next to it with a flick - I never had this issue before, but now I am finding myself often over scrolling the app next to my currently active app when I watch to switch apps quickly.

    • Not a fan of the new font. It's also too big - Everything is too big, reminds me of Windows Phone 7. Not that extreme, but it's still too big. I know I can decrease the fonts, but I like to keep things at the "default" setting.

    • Long screen shot is hit and miss. Doesn't seem to work all the time.

    • The new screenshot editor looks nice. Better than before. Not sure if it still ruins images though, haven't checked yet.

    • Little animations - I can't quite pin point it yet, but Android 12 feels more animated. There are definitely some new little animations here and there. Little animations when opening things, charging, unlocking. It feels more animated. Entering text and moving down with an enter key is animated. Subtle but I think they add to the overall experience.

    • New Pipe has an issue where if you use the pop up window home screen and recents become unusable.

    • Homescreen - Why can't I tap on the date to open the Calendar on the home screen anymore? You can only open the Weather app. I used this all the time as a shortcut to open the Calendar.

    • Teardrop icons and other shapes are gone. So are notification center icon customization. I liked to use more rounded ones in Android 11. Disappointing.

    • I like the new folder style with icons sticking out of folders.

    • Every app has a splash screen now whether they want it or not.

    • Lockscreen clock is too huge. Having big numbers does not increase readability at all. This was done purely for style. How is this easier and better to read than this? It doesn't even look as good in my opinion as it hides the wallpaper.

    • I liked the phone call bubble on previous Androids. Don't like the current "chip" because you have to reach to the top for it.

    • Very "Google" attention to detail when it comes to the placement of the green, microphone notification dot. Example here and here

    • Everything is big in Android 12. As somebody else mentioned on /r/Android a few days ago, it feels like Android 12 was made for boomers. I would not say anything currently is a killer feature that had I reverted to Android 11 I'd really miss. Maybe the bounce back as I quite like it. I thought I'd be using the new device search a lot, but I am not. Other than that, things like Cut Copy/Paste menu, magnifier are more rounded and that's it.

    It's a decent update overall, don't get me wrong. Not as significant as Android 10 was or even Android 11, but it's decent. I haven't had the need to use any of the "utility" features of Android 12 (Like Wireless ADB on Android 11 for example which I started using immediately). But I like that Google is evolving their UI rather than coming out with another drastic change. Material is still fresh looking and can be evolved further. If they just fixed the things I mentioned above, it'd be even better.

    submitted by /u/DiplomatikEmunetey
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    The new Tab S8 Ultra leak seems to suggest that the tablet will ship without a headphone jack. Can we atleast admit to ourselves it was never about space?

    Posted: 23 Oct 2021 06:22 AM PDT

    Tons of cheaper phones released in India year around from Xiaomi and Samsung all have headphone jacks. A premium tablet sure as shit could've had a jack.

    It was never about 'space' or 'courage'. It was about making money from disposable $180 earphones that cannot be serviced and will inevitably need replacing.

    They (the smartphone industry) could've just as easily made excellent wireless earphones ALONGSIDE regular wired ones. They knew no one would buy them unless pushed.

    I don't believe this will change unfortunately.

    submitted by /u/ElitePenisCrusher
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    Google got the Pixel price right, but it needs a heavy hand with marketing

    Posted: 23 Oct 2021 10:54 AM PDT

    Google needs to apply it's AI to local spell checking.

    Posted: 23 Oct 2021 11:25 AM PDT

    If you are like me, years of resting on the crutch of omnipresent spell checking has weakened my spelling muscle to a limp noodle. For tough words we all know you can dump the most butchered phonetic spelling into Google search and get the proper spelling back out.

    You would expect some degree of this quasi telepathic spelling ability to extend to Gboard...

    Nope, not by a long shot. Infact sometimes having a single vowel be off totally throws the keyboard prediction for a loop (try typing "vowal").

    This seems like something ripe for Google to tackle, and frankly for me at least would have way more utility than most of their AI efforts. Bonus points for building it into the system so other keyboards can use it too.

    submitted by /u/ItsDijital
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