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Android's sideloading limits are its most anti-consumer move

(www.makeuseof.com)
395 points josephcsible | 7 comments | 13 Oct 25 15:24 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source | bottom
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itg ◴[13 Oct 25 16:13 UTC] No.45570037[source]▶
Installing any app I want outside the Play Store was the primary reason I decided to go with Android, despite most of the people I know using iPhones. If I can't do this anymore, I may as well switch and be able to use iMessage and FaceTime with them.
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63stack ◴[13 Oct 25 16:29 UTC] No.45570265[source]▶
Same, I'm tempted to call android just a shittier iPhone now
replies(1): >>45571133 #
Aachen ◴[13 Oct 25 17:37 UTC] No.45571133[source]▶
What part of cheaper, better, and open source is shittier exactly?
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1. pkulak ◴[13 Oct 25 18:04 UTC] No.45571473[source]▶
> What part of cheaper

The iPhone 17 is the same price as the Pixel 10

> better

But the iPhone 17 has better hardware features, like UWB, better cameras, and a _far_ faster CPU.

> open source

Only if you install Graphene, and then never install anything that requires Google Play Services, which is basically every commercial app.

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2. blackbear_ ◴[13 Oct 25 18:25 UTC] No.45571707[source]▶
GOS allows you to install and use apps from the Play Store and the vast majority of them works flawlessly.
3. xigoi ◴[13 Oct 25 19:07 UTC] No.45572128[source]▶
> The iPhone 17 is the same price as the Pixel 10

Too bad there aren’t any other Android phones…

4. rangestransform ◴[13 Oct 25 19:20 UTC] No.45572269[source]▶
> and a _far_ faster CPU.

No longer true with the newest chip that Mediatek cooked up, ARM licensed cores like C1 are catching up rapidly with Apple CPUs (or maybe Apple has hit the limit of their current design philosophy)

5. ◴[13 Oct 25 19:44 UTC] No.45572541[source]▶
6. terminalshort ◴[13 Oct 25 20:22 UTC] No.45572930[source]▶
In terms of cameras, my pixel takes way better pictures than any iphone, and people I know with iphones (which is basically everyone) admit it.
replies(1): >>45573017 #
7. krabizzwainch ◴[13 Oct 25 20:30 UTC] No.45573017[source]▶
Mine was better until Google kept forcing AI sharpening and making things look worse.