5 ms·

Quote from that email: > IS NOT A BUG. IT IS A FEATURE. It's not a feature for users like you and me, it's a feature for manufacturers like Samsung and HTC, so

Quote from that email: > IS NOT A BUG. IT IS A FEATURE. It's not a feature for users like you and me, it's a feature for manufacturers like Samsung and HTC, so they can in turn build devices that carriers can have more control over. The reason why I switched to Android was precisely the control I have with it, with the primary annoyance I experienced with iOS being that the carrier has to give approval for tethering (amongst other bullshit precisely like this one). This happens for Windows Phone too. Was pleased with Android precisely because it's the only OS in which the feature cannot be turned on/off by the career. Apparently this is no longer true. A bug BY DESIGN is still a bug. UPDATED: corrected sentence, iOS is not a carrier :-)

jacquesm 13y ago
> iOS being the carrier that has to give approval for tethering What do you mean by that?
- lsaferite 13y ago
  You quoted the post out of context. They were saying they experienced that with iOS devices the carrier was the only one who could enabled tethering while with android devices that was not always the case.
  - jacquesm 13y ago
    It's a literal quote of a part of the comment, I simply don't understand how iOS could be a carrier in any context.
    - kbutler 13y ago
      > iOS could be a carrier No, it couldn't. (See what I did there?)
      - squintychino 13y ago
        > No
    - deleted 13y ago
      [deleted]
    - dahart 13y ago
      I see where the confusion started... bad_user was mis-quoted... "iOS being that the carrier has to give approval for tethering"
      - bad_user 13y ago
        I wasn't - made a spelling, later corrected it.
        jacquesm 13y ago
        Thanks for the fix. Interesting how asking a simple question can get you downvoted into the basement these days.
  - zimpenfish 13y ago
    Although the carrier can still block tethering regardless of whether the device purports to let you use it.
    - blueskin_ 13y ago
      If they can detect it. If the user is sensible, they can't.
    - bad_user 13y ago
      No they can't. Devices can have apps on them, apps can have the same usage pattern as your laptop. It wouldn't work even if they did deep packet inspection, like reading the browser's headers or things like that, because then it would break in-app functionality for apps that allow you to fake your connection to make the server respond as if you were a desktop (also thinking about browsers).
      - zimpenfish 13y ago
        I don't think telcos are all that fussed about the minority of people who use faking apps compared with the amount of money they can sting people for by charging extra to allow tethering. UK telcos certainly manage to block tethering when you've not paid for it - or even when you have paid for it but exceeded your monthly allowance.
        thefreeman 13y ago
        even so, that problem is just as easily worked around with a browser extension to mimic mobile browser user agent or headers. Granted that could result in our receiving content formatted for a mobile browser but im sure someone could work around that. Also if the site is designed responsively which I believe is the best practice (I think user agent sniffing is discouraged) then this won't be an issue.
        thefreeman 13y ago
        what exactly about this comment is downvote worthy?
- antsar 13y ago
  I'm guessing what he meant was: the primary annoyance I experienced with iOS being [that] the carrier that has to give approval for tethering
  - jacquesm 13y ago
    Ah good one. Thank you, that fits.
kllrnohj 13y ago
You do realize the person you quoted isn't a Google employee or someone working on Android at all, right? That was just from some random joe schmoe. Nobody from @android.com or @google.com has commented on the bug at all. And you do still have control, you are free to compile AOSP for a handful of supported devices directly, and you are free to use CM or whatever. Well, except CM has this bug/feature, too.

jacquesm 13y ago

> iOS being the carrier that has to give approval for tethering What do you mean by that?

lsaferite 13y ago
You quoted the post out of context. They were saying they experienced that with iOS devices the carrier was the only one who could enabled tethering while with android devices that was not always the case.
- jacquesm 13y ago
  It's a literal quote of a part of the comment, I simply don't understand how iOS could be a carrier in any context.
  - kbutler 13y ago
    > iOS could be a carrier No, it couldn't. (See what I did there?)
    - squintychino 13y ago
      > No
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
  - dahart 13y ago
    I see where the confusion started... bad_user was mis-quoted... "iOS being that the carrier has to give approval for tethering"
    - bad_user 13y ago
      I wasn't - made a spelling, later corrected it.
      - jacquesm 13y ago
        Thanks for the fix. Interesting how asking a simple question can get you downvoted into the basement these days.
- zimpenfish 13y ago
  Although the carrier can still block tethering regardless of whether the device purports to let you use it.
  - blueskin_ 13y ago
    If they can detect it. If the user is sensible, they can't.
  - bad_user 13y ago
    No they can't. Devices can have apps on them, apps can have the same usage pattern as your laptop. It wouldn't work even if they did deep packet inspection, like reading the browser's headers or things like that, because then it would break in-app functionality for apps that allow you to fake your connection to make the server respond as if you were a desktop (also thinking about browsers).
    - zimpenfish 13y ago
      I don't think telcos are all that fussed about the minority of people who use faking apps compared with the amount of money they can sting people for by charging extra to allow tethering. UK telcos certainly manage to block tethering when you've not paid for it - or even when you have paid for it but exceeded your monthly allowance.
      - thefreeman 13y ago
        even so, that problem is just as easily worked around with a browser extension to mimic mobile browser user agent or headers. Granted that could result in our receiving content formatted for a mobile browser but im sure someone could work around that. Also if the site is designed responsively which I believe is the best practice (I think user agent sniffing is discouraged) then this won't be an issue.
        thefreeman 13y ago
        what exactly about this comment is downvote worthy?
antsar 13y ago
I'm guessing what he meant was: the primary annoyance I experienced with iOS being [that] the carrier that has to give approval for tethering
- jacquesm 13y ago
  Ah good one. Thank you, that fits.

kllrnohj 13y ago

You do realize the person you quoted isn't a Google employee or someone working on Android at all, right? That was just from some random joe schmoe. Nobody from @android.com or @google.com has commented on the bug at all. And you do still have control, you are free to compile AOSP for a handful of supported devices directly, and you are free to use CM or whatever. Well, except CM has this bug/feature, too.