Android

17730 readers

58 users here now

The new home of /r/Android on Lemmy and the Fediverse!

Android news, reviews, tips, and discussions about rooting, tutorials, and apps.

💡Content Philosophy:

Content which benefits the community (news, rumours, and discussions) is generally allowed and is valued over content which benefits only the individual (technical questions, help buying/selling, rants, self-promotion, etc.) which will be removed if it's in violation of the rules.

Support, technical, or app related questions belong in: [email protected]

For fresh communities, lemmy apps, and instance updates: [email protected]

💬Matrix Chat

💬Telegram channels / chats

📰Our communities below

Rules

Stay on topic: All posts should be related to the Android OS or ecosystem.
No support questions, recommendation requests, rants, or bug reports: Posts must benefit the community rather than the individual. Please post to [email protected].
Describe images/videos, no memes: Please include a text description when sharing images or videos. Post memes to [email protected].
No self-promotion spam: Active community members can post their apps if they answer any questions in the comments. Please do not post links to your own website, YouTube, blog content, or communities.
No reposts or rehosted content: Share only the original source of an article, unless it's not available in English or requires logging in (like Twitter). Avoid reposting the same topic from other sources.
No editorializing titles: You can add the author or website's name if helpful, but keep article titles unchanged.
No piracy or unverified APKs: Do not share links or direct people to pirated content or unverified APKs, which may contain malicious code.
No unauthorized polls, bots, or giveaways: Do not create polls, use bots, or organize giveaways without first contacting mods for approval.
No offensive or low-effort content: Don't post offensive or unhelpful content. Keep it civil and friendly!
No affiliate links: Posting affiliate links is not allowed.

Quick Links

Our Communities

Lemmy App List

See thread

Chat and More

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

357

While Android as a whole continues to shrink in the US, Google Pixel keeps growing (9to5google.com)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

275 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Android is struggling to keep its market share in the United States, as Apple continues to take over in the market. But, despite Android as a whole losing ground, Google Pixel phones are becoming a bigger slice of the US market.

Counterpoint Research reports that, in Q2 2023, US smartphone shipments dropped by 24% year-over-year. That includes both iPhones and Android phones, and virtually every brand saw a drop in shipments. Samsung saw US shipments drop by 37% while Motorola saw a 17% drop. TCL saw the biggest decline at just shy of 70% year-over-year, and even Apple saw a 6% drop.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Google owns the platform. You're not really comparing like to like.

It's like saying since Google can modify some files in Windows that Microsoft doesn't control the platform.

Sony upstreams many of its changes, but you're right that Samsung does not. This is both because of differentiation, but also because often the changes are in defiance of the "official" Google spec in android and merging is refused.

One plus for example offers further customization on gesture input that is missing in Android 13, allowing corner bottom swipes, hiding the little nav line, etc. But this cannot merge.

Google has decided a "solution", to hell with if your features are better. I would love to see these features in android mainline. But Google won't allow it. Sony made a theme system years ago, but Android wouldn't fully merge it, and took another 5 or so years to make something.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It's like saying since Google can modify some files in Windows that Microsoft doesn't control the platform.

You complain that I'm not comparing like to like, yet you're taking Windows, a closed sourced operating system, as an analog to AOSP, an open sourced one?

This is both because of differentiation

But why are other OEMs allowed to differentiate, and Google is not?

Yes, Google has the "official control" of how Android should be, and not all OEM changes are in line with that. But contributing upstream is not the only way to make the Android ecosystem open.

Take for example, Galaxy Watch with WearOS. There are multiple features that the watch can do, ONLY IF ITS PAIRED WITH A GALAXY PHONE. I have a Galaxy Watch 4. It has ECG and Blood Pressure sensors. But I can't use it (officially), because I don't have a Galaxy phone. Why? Because Samsung is keeping that exclusive with a software lock that totally doesn't have to be there. Measuring ECG and Blood Pressure doesn't need anything from my phone, it's all on the watch.

Another example also regarding using Galaxy Watch with a non Galaxy phone, which is even more absurd, is that if you're using a Galaxy Watch with Galaxy phone, they will sync DND status between them, but if you're not using a Galaxy phone, it'll not sync. They literally added codes for it to not work on non Galaxy phone.

Also, the example you used in your original comment, the call screening feature, uses language models that Google paid for the development and trained. I think it's fair for them to uses that technology that they invested in to help boost their own profit instead of just giving out for free.