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Creating fresh accounts for devices requiring them should be standard practice, and companies not allowing this boycotted. When you buy an Android phone, Googl
by leppr 6y ago
Creating fresh accounts for devices requiring them should be standard practice, and companies not allowing this boycotted.
When you buy an Android phone, Google gives you a "free" account if you chose to create one (no phone number verification needed).
EDIT: Or not, apparently. Might only work with some whitelisted manufacturers. Boycott Google too I guess.
- taylorfinley 6y agoThis has not been my experience for either of my last two Android phones, Google would not create an account without verifying a phone number. Their support forum recommended using a land line or borrowing a friend's phone.
- leppr 6y agoThat's sad to hear. The situation with smartphones is magnitudes worse than VR headsets. First, VR headsets have competitive consumer-respecting alternatives (Valve Index), second, they are for now purely an entertainment device, while smartphones are semi-required to competitively function in modern society. I'm surprised no government has yet tried to address the harmful smartphone OS duopoly, the only worthwhile initiatives are from unbacked Open-Source hackers.
- vorpalhex 6y agoYou can skip the Google account entirely on Android and everything still works more or less (more than a few nag screens, probably worth rooting if you go this direction).
- parliament32 6y agoYou can't use the Play Store though, right? So no app installs unless you sideload from some other source?
- mrguyorama 6y agoAt that point you could probably sideload one of the alternative app stores and be all set, unless FDroid like hooks into google services for things
- vorpalhex 6y agoThere are alternative app stores and actually, the ones I've tried have worked pretty well. There is a way to get play store working but you'd be violating ToS technically.
- sdflhasjd 6y agoI think that used to be the case, but I recently got an Android TV (I know it's not _exactly_ the same thing) and had no option but to log in. Of course, creating a new account for just one device was a pain too, as Google required some verification steps which included an SMS message.
- vorpalhex 6y agoWas this the new official Google TV (which is NOT actually Android TV though likely based off of it) or a 3rd party product?
- denimnerd46 6y agoThe Google TV Chromecast is an Android OS just confirm which is why Stadia doesn't work on it yet. Although you can sideload the Stadia mobile app.