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Yep, 4.X Android is still going strong, almost like Windows XP. It's because it's the last Android version Google released without turning it unusable without
by baybal2 5y ago
Yep, 4.X Android is still going strong, almost like Windows XP.
It's because it's the last Android version Google released without turning it unusable without Gapps.
It is simple to customise. Put any of the crazy CyanogenMod era skins on it, and then customise UI any way you want with your own brand look.
And it is simple to code for, unlike overengineered APIs of later Android versions, with simple raw filesystem access being a particularly highly sought feature.
- derefr 5y agoThat's interesting. If there are use-cases for this old version of Android, is there a reason that the people who want to build such devices, haven't created a "living" descendant OS forking off from Android 4.x, with the old APIs but a modern kernel et al? Sort of like the living GTK2 that stuck around for so long after GTK3.
- zozbot234 5y agoYou can add back the Gapps-free applications quite easily - clones of them are widely available in F-Droid, or as part of custom ROMs like LineageOS and formerly CyanogenMod.
- derefr 5y agoSure, but then why put Android 4.x on these newer devices, rather than putting F-Droid/LineageOS on them?
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- baybal2 5y agoPost 4.X Android is almost a wholly different OS. It was the biggest API break, and a shift to much more over-engineered APIs. Companies doing things like POS terminals, eKiosks, signage, set-top boxes, Android TVs, etc are not interested in that, and this is a big part of why 4.X is so prolific.