4 ms·

> Many tablet users ... struggle to truly embrace an Android device. It's hard to escape the bloatware and Google-ification What does this mean? What is exactl

> Many tablet users ... struggle to truly embrace an Android device. It's hard to escape the bloatware and Google-ification What does this mean? What is exactly hard about avoiding a preinstalled app? (possibly even disabling it?) Or does the author mean something else with the term 'bloatware'? What is 'Google-ification' in the context of a OS that is primarily developed by Google? Is it the same as 'Apple-ification' on an Apple-tablet?

adrian_b 1y ago
I am not sure what the author meant, but all my smartphones have escaped 'Google-ification' in the sense that I do not have and I never had a Google account. This has created mostly minor problems. The most serious has been that one of the banks that I am using has discontinued their Web-based online banking services, which I could use with a browser from any desktop, laptop or smartphone, replacing them with inferior Android/iOS apps. I no longer use Apple devices and for Android the bank has refused to provide their app by any other way except the official Google store, to which I cannot login without a Google account, despite the fact that the app is free. Fortunately I use several banks, so with that bank I have stopped using most of their services. For their services that I still use, I use their ancient SMS-based interface, which continues to work for now. I believe that it should be illegal for a bank to condition their services by the customer having to enter a contractual relationship with a third party, which moreover is located in a different jurisdiction, i.e. USA, while both the bank and the customer are in the EU. However, I did not afford to spend time and money to investigate the legality of the bank's actions.
- ThePowerOfFuet 1y ago
  Aurora Store will let you download the bank's app from the Play Store (and keep it updated) using throwaway Google Accounts it manages.
  - no_time 1y ago
    For now. Play Protect can attest the source of the application and any app can potentially use this to lock you out. https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/10183279 https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ...

adrian_b 1y ago

I am not sure what the author meant, but all my smartphones have escaped 'Google-ification' in the sense that I do not have and I never had a Google account. This has created mostly minor problems. The most serious has been that one of the banks that I am using has discontinued their Web-based online banking services, which I could use with a browser from any desktop, laptop or smartphone, replacing them with inferior Android/iOS apps. I no longer use Apple devices and for Android the bank has refused to provide their app by any other way except the official Google store, to which I cannot login without a Google account, despite the fact that the app is free. Fortunately I use several banks, so with that bank I have stopped using most of their services. For their services that I still use, I use their ancient SMS-based interface, which continues to work for now. I believe that it should be illegal for a bank to condition their services by the customer having to enter a contractual relationship with a third party, which moreover is located in a different jurisdiction, i.e. USA, while both the bank and the customer are in the EU. However, I did not afford to spend time and money to investigate the legality of the bank's actions.

ThePowerOfFuet 1y ago
Aurora Store will let you download the bank's app from the Play Store (and keep it updated) using throwaway Google Accounts it manages.
- no_time 1y ago
  For now. Play Protect can attest the source of the application and any app can potentially use this to lock you out. https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/10183279 https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answ...