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Interesting you had that experience, since KitKat had Project Svelte which was a big effort to cut memory usage. This made an enormous difference for low end ph

Interesting you had that experience, since KitKat had Project Svelte which was a big effort to cut memory usage. This made an enormous difference for low end phones.

lawgimenez 4y ago
My experience with KitKat is not that good. Yes memory usage improved but the introduction of broken APIs started here. I remember MediaPlayer API was just so broken in this build. It was breaking so much randomly in HTC and Sony that we have to search frantically for those phones. Plus our apps also run on TV by plugging an Android USB. It worked pretty well on JB and then broke suddenly after KitKat. I remember vividly since I have to code for 23 hours straight just to beat that deadline.
- robocat 4y ago
  “As of October 2020, 1.47% of Android devices run KitKat. As of August 2022, it is the oldest Android version still supported by Google Play Services and is currently the minimum version to develop apps for the Google Play Store.” I remember KitKat being great because it was the version that introduced Chrome based WebView, which made a huge difference for compatibility if you needed it. However the WebView component only got auto-updating in Android 5.0, so security double sucks. And KitKat was the version that there was an explosion of devices for - impressive that 4.4.4 is still supported nearly a decade later (albeit without OS security patches!) It was released when iOS7 was released with the iPhone 5.
  - sir 4y ago
    The thing you have to remember about those usage figures is that they don’t really include the large numbers of low-end devices that are often running quite old versions of Android. The sort of person who uses SHAREit and other platforms to minimise their data usage, often has to delete one app and install another to switch between them (due to lack of space), and certainly can’t afford a new phone every few years, is not included in these statistics.
- throwaway2056 4y ago
  > They just let every smartphone company do what they want I understand your point. It is like (me) linux user asking for a simple desktop - minimal GUI. Nothing flashy like winXP. The world on the other hand (incl. many developers) want tons of features - bling etc. This is rampant in developing world (especially phones non-motorola phones). BTW, you could have bought moto G, E editions in India. These are so close to stock pixel experience. > er vividly since I have to code for 23 hours straight just to beat that deadline. Lets be honest. That indicates app ecosystem matured. It is as big as OS. People that we ask to build apps charge tons of money. > TV by plugging an Android USB. For you it is a feature. For others it may be a security issue.
pier25 4y ago
They should repeat that. Android 12 has been super slow for me. It feels really bloated.

Interesting you had that experience, since KitKat had Project Svelte which was a big effort to cut memory usage. This made an enormous difference for low end phones.

lawgimenez 4y ago

My experience with KitKat is not that good. Yes memory usage improved but the introduction of broken APIs started here. I remember MediaPlayer API was just so broken in this build. It was breaking so much randomly in HTC and Sony that we have to search frantically for those phones. Plus our apps also run on TV by plugging an Android USB. It worked pretty well on JB and then broke suddenly after KitKat. I remember vividly since I have to code for 23 hours straight just to beat that deadline.

robocat 4y ago
“As of October 2020, 1.47% of Android devices run KitKat. As of August 2022, it is the oldest Android version still supported by Google Play Services and is currently the minimum version to develop apps for the Google Play Store.” I remember KitKat being great because it was the version that introduced Chrome based WebView, which made a huge difference for compatibility if you needed it. However the WebView component only got auto-updating in Android 5.0, so security double sucks. And KitKat was the version that there was an explosion of devices for - impressive that 4.4.4 is still supported nearly a decade later (albeit without OS security patches!) It was released when iOS7 was released with the iPhone 5.
- sir 4y ago
  The thing you have to remember about those usage figures is that they don’t really include the large numbers of low-end devices that are often running quite old versions of Android. The sort of person who uses SHAREit and other platforms to minimise their data usage, often has to delete one app and install another to switch between them (due to lack of space), and certainly can’t afford a new phone every few years, is not included in these statistics.
throwaway2056 4y ago
> They just let every smartphone company do what they want I understand your point. It is like (me) linux user asking for a simple desktop - minimal GUI. Nothing flashy like winXP. The world on the other hand (incl. many developers) want tons of features - bling etc. This is rampant in developing world (especially phones non-motorola phones). BTW, you could have bought moto G, E editions in India. These are so close to stock pixel experience. > er vividly since I have to code for 23 hours straight just to beat that deadline. Lets be honest. That indicates app ecosystem matured. It is as big as OS. People that we ask to build apps charge tons of money. > TV by plugging an Android USB. For you it is a feature. For others it may be a security issue.

pier25 4y ago

They should repeat that. Android 12 has been super slow for me. It feels really bloated.