92
Is the Android we once knew slowly getting eroded?
(9to5google.com)
No.
There's nothing slow about it.
Each year is a planned step towards further death of the platform. Just found out the other day with a potentially malfunctioning app on Android, that one can no longer see /data/data/ even from ADB. One used to be able to browse that directory structure in a file manager, but then it was only via ADB, and now not at all, apparently. That is just one of many aspects of the OS taken away from the owner of the device. (Not "user".)
Android might be worse than iOS, in that they sold it as open, and then slowly took that away, the death by 1000 cuts approach. So more people feel comfortable using it, not realizing their freedoms are being removed with each new iteration. Apple at least said, "no it's closed, so you have a choice whether you are ok with that or not" right up front.
Of course, as choices dwindle down to two American Corpo OSes, we all still lose in the end.
We need non-US technology platforms. US business leadership has proven that they cannot be trusted.
Alternatively (or in addition), we need non-business technology platforms.
Yes. It's more and more like iOS and more vendor lockin.
I feel like it is, and I'm actually now actively working on sourcing a secondary device to put postmarketOS Linux on and begin using Linux on mobile. I am currently unaffected by Google's shenanigans because I use LineageOS with no Google Play services at all, but I fear they could bake that into AOSP directly in the future. And then Android would be a totally dead platform. Therefore, it's actively time that I start looking at the alternative and trying to use it to see where it stands and where I might be able to help smooth out some rough edges. One thing is for certain, I will not stand for an Android, where I cannot install the applications I want to install on my own device, and I will not be going to iOS ever. Fuck that. I would get rid of my phone entirely before going with either of those options, and thankfully, it doesn't look as though that will be necessary, because Linux on mobile, while rough around the edges, does exist.
I have a oneplus 6T with postmarketOS and it works pretty well.
tried it recently on a POCO F1 and it was unusable, maybe I should get a OP6...
What environment do you use? I'm thinking GNOME mobile would be my best option because it has some accessibility settings. I can't use a device without magnification at a minimum and both magnification and a screen reader are preferred when possible.
I'm using phosh, which I believe has some gnome components.
I can see there's a quick setting for adjusting screen scaling and options for large text. There's also an option for a screen reader in the accessibility options but it doesn't seem to do anything now that I'm trying it, maybe I have to download some TTS program to make it work.
Does the accessibility settings have a "zoom" submenu? If you have the time would you screenshot the "accessibility" menu for me and the "zoom" submenu if it exists?
Hey, thanks!
Very neat. Are there any particular sticking points for you?
If Google proceeds with killing app installs I will be giving Linux mobile a go as well.
My problem is that I can't find a single Linux capable phone with a decent sized battery (10000mAh+). Hopefully when Google does this, the Chinese manufacturers pivot to Linux phones in anticipation of the coming market for them.
Oh dang, 10kAh. Ive never had a phone over like 5.1k mAh.
My old one was the unihertz tank. That one was 22kmAh.
Read this as "kilometer amp hours" and my brain broke.
Slowly?
this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2026
92 points (97.9% liked)
Android
21620 readers
176 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.
🔗Universal Link: !android@lemdro.id
💡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: !askandroid@lemdro.id
For fresh communities, lemmy apps, and instance updates: !lemdroid@lemdro.id
📰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 !askandroid@lemdro.id.
-
Describe images/videos, no memes: Please include a text description when sharing images or videos. Post memes to !androidmemes@lemdro.id.
-
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
- !askandroid@lemdro.id
- !androidmemes@lemdro.id
- !techkit@lemdro.id
- !google@lemdro.id
- !nothing@lemdro.id
- !googlepixel@lemdro.id
- !xiaomi@lemdro.id
- !sony@lemdro.id
- !samsung@lemdro.id
- !galaxywatch@lemdro.id
- !oneplus@lemdro.id
- !motorola@lemdro.id
- !meta@lemdro.id
- !apple@lemdro.id
- !microsoft@lemdro.id
- !chatgpt@lemdro.id
- !bing@lemdro.id
- !reddit@lemdro.id
Lemmy App List
Chat and More
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS