Android - Reddit

Powerful hardware, but by no means flawless - Xiaomi 18 Fold review https://www.notebookcheck.net/Xiaomi-18-Fold-review-Big-display-big-performance-big-compromises.1428903.0.html https://redd.it/1xb2378 @reddit_android

Are we reaching a point where we can't trust brand update promises anymore? It feels like every brand is competing to promise 4, 5, or even 7 years of major OS updates just to sell a phone at launch.But lately, we're seeing more cases where a phone gets cut short or a major update gets quietly canceled down the line because the mid-range or budget hardware apparently "can't handle it." It makes the whole update marketing war feel entirely meaningless if companies can just change their minds later. When you buy a phone, do you actually buy it expecting it to get those later years of support, or do you just buy it for what the software can do right now? What's the worst time a brand broke a software promise on you? https://redd.it/1x6zeez @reddit_android

Samsung Electronics Begins Wafer Production of Exynos 2700, Expanding Volume by More Than 10% https://finance.biggo.com/news/fc2adcc4-3575-439b-944a-ea8a2dcc011b https://redd.it/1xayipg @reddit_android

Galaxy S27 Ultra Could Switch to Exynos 2700 Over Snapdragon Heating Issues https://sammyguru.com/galaxy-s27-ultra-snapdragon-overheating/ https://redd.it/1xaxenh @reddit_android

Can we talk about how shamelessly Android OEMs are copying iOS's Liquid Glass UI? Thank God Pixel is actually sticking to its own identity. It is honestly exhausting watching the current state of Android skins. Ever since Apple dropped the "Liquid Glass" aesthetic in iOS, almost every major Android OEM—Vivo (OriginOS), Oppo (ColorOS), Xiaomi (HyperOS), OnePlus—has tripped over themselves to copy it screen-for-screen. The translucent frosted blurs, the bubbly rounded toggles, the exact same floating menu bars and dynamic island clones... it is a shameless 1:1 rip-off. What frustrates me the most isn't just the copying itself—it's the complete lack of ambition. The whole point of Android is supposed to be variety, freedom, and distinct character. These brands have massive design teams and incredible hardware, yet they willingly throw away their own visual identity just to look like a knockoff iPhone. It screams insecurity, like they are telling their own buyers, "We know you secretly wanted an iPhone, so we made our software pretend to be one." Right now, Google's Pixel UI feels like the only breath of fresh air left. With Material 3 Expressive, Pixel actually has a spine. It uses bold colors, distinct geometry, and fluid motion that doesn't look anything like iOS. Even Google's Android boss publicly shot down the idea of bringing Liquid Glass to Pixel, and honestly, thank God for that. What blows my mind is how normal this has become. People in the community just shrug and say "everyone copies everyone" or "it looks smooth, who cares?" Taking inspiration on a useful feature is one thing; copy-pasting an entire aesthetic direction because you're afraid to be different is pathetic. Why isn't there more pushback on this? Do people actually want their Android phones to look like iOS clones, or have we just given up on OEMs having their own character? https://redd.it/1x6xbvw @reddit_android

Giving lifetime Pro access to my countdown & reminder app Hey everyone! I'm an indie developer and I just launched Countdown Pro on Google Play. To celebrate, I'm giving away free lifetime Pro subscriptions to this community. What it's for: \-Counting down to the moments that matter — birthdays, weddings, trips, exams, launches, holidays \-Setting reminders so you never miss a deadline or important date \-Staying productive by keeping your goals and deadlines in front of you How to get your free lifetime code: 1-Download the app here 👉 Click here to Download the app 2-Comment below with one event you're counting down to or a reminder you'd set — a vacation, a deadline, a big day, anything! 3-DM me and I'll send your promo code 🎟️ Codes are limited, so first come, first served. I'd also really love your honest feedback — what you like, what's missing, and what would make it more useful for you. Every suggestion helps a solo dev a lot. 🙏 Thanks, and good luck with whatever you're counting down to! https://redd.it/1x8bpbp @reddit_android

Samsung promises 7 years of updates. Apple promises nothing and ships about 9. The 2026 flagships are out and the marketing is backwards. Samsung states it plainly: Z Fold 8 and Flip 8, seven years, patches through August 2033. Written down, easy to check. Apple states nothing. No policy, no end date, nothing on the spec sheet. But going by what they've actually done, the iPhone 18 Pro should get security updates into 2035 - the iPhone 13 is still getting them five years on. So the company that commits gives you less, and the company that commits to nothing gives you more. Would you rather have a promise or a track record? https://redd.it/1x95l2p @reddit_android

Android is the Best Mobile OS I have spent a lot of time on android. All of my adult and teen life. Now, with that being said, last year I bought an iPhone 17 Pro Max 512GB. The last iPhone that I had, I had back in high school, was an iPhone 4S. It was the first one that got Siri and all that good stuff. Since then, I upgraded to a Galaxy S3 right after that. and I’ve been on android ever since. Until just recently. I really wanted to understand why people buy iPhones, and I have been daily driving the iPhone for about a year now, and I’ll live with it until it finally dies, but I will not buy into the ecosystem. I will not be OK with it not having a lot of features that the android has, including in-phone file management and computer file management like a flash drive, it just like a little computer in the palm of your hand. I would definitely call myself a power user when it comes to phones, and iPhone just plain doesn’t cut it. But I felt like I couldn’t really give my opinion for so long because I needed to see if the grass was greener elsewhere and maybe they fixed all of my problems with the original iPhone 4S, which predominantly they have. My biggest gripe with my iPhone 4S was the battery life. It was absolutely atrocious. And to be honest with you, the iPhone 17 Pro Max with power saver is a game changer in general for Apple devices and I’m pretty pleased with the battery life that I get now with all that being said, the iPhone is definitely got some good things about it, but for me they’re not a big enough reason to stay. I personally like how iPhone uses my bit warden to automatically enter my login information anywhere that I need it. Android just isn’t quite as good. It’s not quite as seamless. Siri does not hold up to Google’s voice assistant in the slightest. My other biggest gripe going to iPhone from Android has been the fingerprint technology that I miss. My last Android phone before this iPhone was a OnePlus N30 5G. The fast charging that OnePlus and all the Chinese manufacturers have completely blows everything else out of the water, and the battery life that it gives for not a lot of money, I paid under $200 for that phone and that phone will outlive almost any other phone I’ve ever used. My favorite thing about that phone was they put the fingerprint sensor on the power button on the side of the phone, which is literally the best place you can possibly put it, it’s already got your fingerprint and you’re already into your experience. I personally have seen firsthand a mother and a daughter that look somewhat similar are able to unlock each other’s phones with face ID. I don’t like how iPhone does not play nicely with non-Apple smart watches. I think that’s pretty terrible personally. Overall, I’m very glad that I got the chance to use a modern iPhone, but whenever the time comes, I will definitely go back. Thanks for reading! https://redd.it/1x925a7 @reddit_android

People who don't hide the navigation bar on Android, why ? Hiding the white/black navigation bar makes u have more space for apps and games. Some people even use the old navigation bar style which has the back and home buttons https://redd.it/1x92hjq @reddit_android

Could Samsung actually pull off its own mobile OS in the long run? I mean creating something like iOS. When using my Galaxy, I noticed that there are a lot of “duplicate” apps, meaning apps that serve the same purpose. I've been thinking about an idea I call Project TOS. Basically, it's a concept for an independent Samsung mobile OS, potentially based on Tizen. The idea is to give Samsung more control over its own software, build a stronger ecosystem, and make its devices feel more integrated. One thing that got me thinking about this is how Samsung phones come with apps that do pretty much the same thing as Google's apps. Why not have a more unified experience, kinda like Apple does with iOS? I know competing with Android and iOS would be a huge challenge, especially when it comes to app support and getting developers on board. But could Samsung actually make it work with a solid long-term plan? Would you guys be interested in something like this, or do you think it's just not realistic? https://redd.it/1x8q6va @reddit_android

Will Google Ever Allow for Proper End-to-End Encryption of Your Photos in Google Photos? Google Photos is a solid tool, but I’ve always been apprehensive about using it as my primary photo cloud/management solution because Google doesn’t allow you to end-to-end encrypt your photos, like some other platforms do. Not interested in recommendations for alternatives right now. I’ve done extensive research on them already. Just curious what people’s thoughts are on the fact that Google Photos still doesn’t offer it and if people think it’s on the horizon. https://redd.it/1x94uhh @reddit_android

Googlebook review: Android on a laptop is still Android https://arstechnica.com/reviews/2026/10/googlebook-review-android-on-a-laptop-is-still-android/ https://redd.it/1x97ztn @reddit_android

Setting up Android accessibility for a recently paralyzed friend to use Gemini and Claude by voice — four technical problems, plus looking for general guidance. My friend was recently paralyzed in a cycling accident, and I'm helping him set up his Android phone so he can interact with the world hands-free, through both Google Gemini and Anthropic's Claude by voice. He needs both apps for different reasons. He's a developer, and most of his programming work happens in Claude, while he uses Gemini more for general interaction and researching health-related questions. So losing access to either one is a real loss of capability for him, not just a preference. I've hit four recurring technical problems and I'm hoping someone here has solved one or more of them. One, starting Voice Access hands-free. He's currently in a hospital room with a lot of ambient noise, and Voice Access keeps picking up background sound when left listening continuously. I know how to stop a listening session, but I haven't found a reliable way for him to start one using only his voice, with no hand or button input. Two, handing off from Voice Access to the AI app. Once Voice Access helps him open Gemini or Claude, I need it to stop listening so his speech goes to the app's conversation mode instead of being interpreted as device commands. Right now the two seem to compete. Three, launching Claude with a wake word. Gemini works fine as a voice-activated assistant, but Claude doesn't. Android lets me set Claude as the default digital assistant app, but there's no keyword or activation phrase that actually triggers it the way Gemini's does. "Four, using Gemini as a bridge to launch Claude. As a workaround, I'm wondering if Gemini could be used to launch a home-screen shortcut straight into Claude's voice mode, bypassing Voice Access and the missing wake word entirely. Has anyone tried this or got it working? Separately, if anyone can point me to a solid guide, video, or community resource on setting up Android accessibility for someone who's recently become paralyzed, generally, I'd really appreciate it. This is new territory for me and I'd rather learn from people who've done it properly than figure it out by trial and error. Any tips, settings, or tools would mean a lot — trying to make this as frictionless as possible for him while he's dealing with so much else. https://redd.it/1x9vhr7 @reddit_android

How do you all manage and back up your Android photos and videos? For those of you who have been using Android devices for a while, I want to know what your actual workflow looks like when it comes to protecting your photos and videos. Basically...if I were to lose my phone or it suddenly dies on me, I want to make sure I have a peace of mind. So I'm looking into different ways to ensure nothing gets lost, but I wanted to see how people actually handle this day-to-day. A few things I was wondering: - Do you rely on a cloud service (like Google Photos or OneDrive) for automatic, real-time backups? - Or do you prefer a more manual approach, like connecting your phone via USB cable every once in a while to move files to a PC or external SSD/HDD drive? Is there a hybrid method you use? Hoping to hear about your actual, hands-on process. Do you just "set it and forget it," or is it a more active part of your routine? Thanks! https://redd.it/1x9xdvg @reddit_android

I spent a few days porting Samsung's One UI apps to stock Android. Gallery's Edit button even opens Samsung Photo Editor like on a Galaxy I wanted Samsung's One UI apps on my Motorola, so I ported them. **OnePort** runs Samsung's own **Gallery, My Files, Photo Editor and Video Player (beta)** on non-Samsung phones. * **No root, no custom ROM, no Samsung account.** * **Works like on a Galaxy:** Gallery's Edit button opens Photo Editor, and Gallery and My Files share one Recycle bin. * **Requirements:** any arm64 phone. Android 16+ (Gallery runs on 11+, Video Player needs 17+). * **Galaxy AI is left out on purpose,** out of respect for Samsung's terms. I've tested it on a Motorola Edge 60 Pro (Android 17). If you try it on a Pixel, OnePlus, Xiaomi or anything else, a quick device report on GitHub would help a lot, whether it works or not. On X: [https://x.com/TechSnow7/status/2112100757692707070\](https://x.com/TechSnow7/status/2112100757692707070) GitHub: [https://github.com/StevenSteel7/OnePort\](https://github.com/StevenSteel7/OnePort) Do star if you like it ;) Unofficial and not affiliated with Samsung. https://redd.it/1xah07c @reddit_android

Googlebooks have an image quality problem despite their OLED screens https://www.notebookcheck.net/Googlebooks-have-an-image-quality-problem-despite-their-OLED-screens.1427395.0.html https://redd.it/1x9dxtq @reddit_android

Samsung Galaxy S27+ might miss out on UWB https://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s27_might_miss_out_on_uwb-news-75084.php https://redd.it/1x90w8i @reddit_android

CRT Screen-Off Animation v1.1.0 released https://github.com/Typongtv/CRT-Screen-Off-Animation/releases/tag/v1.1.0 https://redd.it/1x8vu8n @reddit_android

Xiaomi Poco X8 smartphone review – Probably the best phone deal of 2026 for battery life and display https://www.notebookcheck.net/Xiaomi-Poco-X8-smartphone-review-Probably-the-best-phone-deal-of-2026-for-battery-life-and-display.1426213.0.html https://redd.it/1x8hbjv @reddit_android

Major Samsung One UI update expected in 2027 (Could also be called Galaxy OS instead of One UI 10) https://www.sammobile.com/news/major-one-ui-10-update-expected-2027/ https://redd.it/1x8aaft @reddit_android