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I got a Samsung S21 FE 5G as an award on a programming competition. OEM unlocking wasn't even an option in the developer settings until I connected the phone t

I got a Samsung S21 FE 5G as an award on a programming competition. OEM unlocking wasn't even an option in the developer settings until I connected the phone to the internet and set the date to one month in the past (I assume this has something to do with the warranty -- you can't even unlock the bootloader right away). An internet connection was required before even using the phone on the Android initial setup screen. Apart from that, developer settings can't even be enabled before agreeing with Samsung EULA. Initial setup screen can be weirdly manipulated into opening settings (Accessibility, Additional apps, Live transcribe, Connectivity settings (only shows if there's no inet connection), back), but spamming the Build number does not enable developer settings. Granted that I did not buy the phone, but it's still disgusting that such devices are being sold.

m_kos 3y ago
One thing I find very annoying about Samsung is that it tries to get people to use Bixby (Samsung's "Google Assistant") by remapping their phone's power button to Bixby. Due to the nature of my current project, I talked to many Samsung owners in their 50s and 60s who don't know how to turn Bixby off and, consequently, don't know how to, e.g., shut down or reboot their phones.
- Dylan16807 3y ago
  Another way of looking at it is they had a bixby button and a power button, and decided to remove the power button.
- Xeamek 3y ago
  You can remap it back. Not to defend them, just FYI
zeagle 3y ago
I liked my Samsung phones but after the a couple of them went end of life despite being very usable I am never buying one of their devices again and sticking with Pixel. There should be an Android code of ethics or regulation to unlock bootloaders of these devices when discontinued to minimize eWaste.
- KennyBlanken 3y ago
  Why on earth would Google institute a policy that runs completely contrary to the cell phone industry's business model, making their devices as useless as possible as fast as possible? It always cracked me up that Apple gets bashed for planned obsolescence when they support their phones longer than anyone else in the industry.
  - zeagle 3y ago
    I agree that they aren't exactly good citizens in the corporate sense, I'm all for regulation to step in if companies won't voluntarily do it. To your point Google does unlock their bootloaders so they seem OK with it for their devices? There is some planned obsolescence in incremental improvement of technology but that that is probably too slow for them (e.g. my S10/S11 lacked LTE, 5g, eSim...).
    - Sunspark 3y ago
      It had LTE. If you were without, it was the carrier.
      - zeagle 3y ago
        Thanks for correcting that. I don't have the phone anymore.
  - saagarjha 3y ago
    Apple will never unlock your bootloader though?
  - _heimdall 3y ago
    Apple got caught artificially degrading performance and battery life after a period of time. That really isn't "planned obsolescence" so much as irt is "planned crippling" Planning for a device's software to be unsupported after a certain period of time, ideally a predefined time made clear up front, is totally reasonable though. Thatjust gets to the question of whether you own a functional phone or a block of hardware that is useful only as long as the company wants it to be.
Xeamek 3y ago
At this point its simply not devices that are being sold, but the package device+software. There simply isn't a market for android-capable devices only

m_kos 3y ago

One thing I find very annoying about Samsung is that it tries to get people to use Bixby (Samsung's "Google Assistant") by remapping their phone's power button to Bixby. Due to the nature of my current project, I talked to many Samsung owners in their 50s and 60s who don't know how to turn Bixby off and, consequently, don't know how to, e.g., shut down or reboot their phones.

Dylan16807 3y ago
Another way of looking at it is they had a bixby button and a power button, and decided to remove the power button.
Xeamek 3y ago
You can remap it back. Not to defend them, just FYI

zeagle 3y ago

I liked my Samsung phones but after the a couple of them went end of life despite being very usable I am never buying one of their devices again and sticking with Pixel. There should be an Android code of ethics or regulation to unlock bootloaders of these devices when discontinued to minimize eWaste.

KennyBlanken 3y ago
Why on earth would Google institute a policy that runs completely contrary to the cell phone industry's business model, making their devices as useless as possible as fast as possible? It always cracked me up that Apple gets bashed for planned obsolescence when they support their phones longer than anyone else in the industry.
- zeagle 3y ago
  I agree that they aren't exactly good citizens in the corporate sense, I'm all for regulation to step in if companies won't voluntarily do it. To your point Google does unlock their bootloaders so they seem OK with it for their devices? There is some planned obsolescence in incremental improvement of technology but that that is probably too slow for them (e.g. my S10/S11 lacked LTE, 5g, eSim...).
  - Sunspark 3y ago
    It had LTE. If you were without, it was the carrier.
    - zeagle 3y ago
      Thanks for correcting that. I don't have the phone anymore.
- saagarjha 3y ago
  Apple will never unlock your bootloader though?
- _heimdall 3y ago
  Apple got caught artificially degrading performance and battery life after a period of time. That really isn't "planned obsolescence" so much as irt is "planned crippling" Planning for a device's software to be unsupported after a certain period of time, ideally a predefined time made clear up front, is totally reasonable though. Thatjust gets to the question of whether you own a functional phone or a block of hardware that is useful only as long as the company wants it to be.

Xeamek 3y ago

At this point its simply not devices that are being sold, but the package device+software. There simply isn't a market for android-capable devices only