Android

It doesn't do that by itself. Go on. Do it.

Edit:

What’s the Google Play System?

The Google Play System (also called Google System Updates) is a way for Android devices to receive updates to core components without requiring a full OS update. This includes security patches, bug fixes, and new features for things like the Play Store and Google Play Services. It was introduced with Android 10 and works on most modern Android devices, including phones, tablets, and wearables.

For those getting their panties in a knot:

• Not everyone has a de-Googled phone
• Some people need Google Play services for essential apps.
• MicroG and other alternatives don’t always work perfectly.
• Privacy ROMs aren’t easily accessible for everyone.
• Only a limited number of devices support them.

For the majority of Android users, Google Play System updates matter, and no, they don’t always install automatically.

Just stop.

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.

Google Keep is now redesigning and modernizing one of its Android widgets. At the start of March, Google discussed...

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

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?

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.

Besides the confirmation that camera and screen sharing in Gemini Live is still rolling out, Google has confirmed that “any Android device...

Google Messages looks to be planning a sizable update to group chats, with the highlight being an ability to join via links and QR codes...

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

... 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?

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.

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.

Google today previewed upcoming safety features coming to Google Play and Android apps in 2025. Play Protect live threat...

After spending 2024 cycling through different looks, Google Messages has widely rolled out a redesign of the text field...

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