4 ms·

Google isn't exactly setting a high standard with their buggy OS updates and crappy apps like hangouts.

Mikeb85 11y ago
> crappy apps like hangouts. What's wrong with Hangouts? I quite like having an all-in-one text message + internet message + phone and video call app that I can use from my phone and computer web browser seamlessly...
- x0x0 11y ago
  messages that don't send people that never appear online, even when you appear online to them the ui disaster, and how I had to google to figure out how to sign out of it my phone staying signed in and eating messages that I would much rather have had delivered to my laptop where I was actively conversing all of this on a nexus running stock 4.4.latest
- 72deluxe 11y ago
  I prefer NOT to have it take over SMS messaging because I want to know that the person will receive the message. If I wanted to get in touch with you, there is a conscious decision as to whether I instant message you, ring you, video call you, send an SMS, visit you in person or send you a letter. This shouldn't be removed or hidden - the reliability of the transport medium is important! Half of my contacts never get messages from me in Hangouts. This makes it unreliable, and therefore useless. Additionally, if I video call someone (eg my wife sat the other side of the room), Hangouts informs me that she is not available for a video call. But she has zero notifications or alerts or ringing or ANYTHING. The inability to see if someone is online/offline also makes it useless. If I am having a conversation with someone sat next to me, I would like to know if they're sat next to me else I'll be talking to a wall. Chatting with people on Hangouts is like talking to a wall. It truly is bad. EDIT: I noticed the INSTANT downvote after writing this. Are you disagreeing with me on Hangouts or something? Or are you saying that I made all of this up or something? Hangouts does not work for me, full stop. I have used Android since 1.5 and Talk was far superior. The lack of proper UI (screen-width listview for contacts????) and behaviour on Hangouts (I am using a tablet) does not encourage decent applications. Compare the quality of Hangouts to GMail on a tablet for reference.
  - katbyte 11y ago
    Weird, I've found hangouts to be nothing but great with no missing messages.. however i (and pretty much everyone i talk to) just use it on iOS/chrome and not tied into sms like iMessage. The only issue I've had is it tends to chow through my battery. When i was playing around with an andriod you could choose to have it take over sms or not, is that no longer an option?
    - Mikeb85 11y ago
      > When i was playing around with an andriod you could choose to have it take over sms or not, is that no longer an option? No it's still an option. They just didn't bother to look for it, or don't realise that they may not have the phone number and Google profile of their contacts synced... But yes, if the person you're messaging has a phone number and Hangouts profile, and those are applied to the same contact, you can choose to SMS them or send a Hangouts message.
      - 72deluxe 11y ago
        I have it disabled for SMS messages. I am not so much complaining that it offers SMS tie-in, more that it is unreliable in its transportation, so knowing how you're sending a message is more important if you want the person to receive it. The problem exists for iPhone users as well I think - Messages will send via SMS or Internet and there is confusion amongst my relatives with regard to it. They don't know if they've sent an SMS or if it's gone via the Internet, so I won't get messages on my Mac/iPad because it's gone via SMS etc. etc. Muddying the method of communication is a disservice.
  - vilmosi 11y ago
    The problem is you don't even try to make hangouts work for you. You complain that you can't even choose between SMS and instant chat, yet hangouts offers that effortlessly. And you ca see someone online/offline, you can even see exactly the last time they opened the app. It's fine to not like Hangouts, but your complaints are just plain false.
- nitrogen 11y ago
  Hangouts gets slower with every version, to the point that my older dual-core phone can no longer run it at all -- it just hangs.
- talideon 11y ago
  It's a bit half-assed, at least on phones, especially with its SMS handling.
creshal 11y ago
And most "branded" Android distributions still manage to be worse.
e12e 11y ago
I just wish they'd made a real effort to make Android more open - say make a real push to get commitment from all OEMs to support ASOP. That way it would've been much easier to make different Android distributions, than it is now. Unfortunately, Google does not only seem to not care about that, but is actively moving much of the useful APIs to closed source, locked down Google properties. At least we still have Linux and Mozilla (and Canonical), so I still think more open mobile/tablet/phone platforms are comming. They might run Android apps -- or might not. They might be able to work with a workable for-profit/pay marketplace/app-store (AFAIK the only working such market place for open OS' is Steam -- maybe Valve will eat everyone's lunch in the end. Steam for mobile apps and games? Why not.). Hangout exemplifies everything that is bad with the path Google is on. It replaces a system based on open standards, that (mostly, except for federation?) welcomed any and all existing clients -- and a system that allowed for having separate apps for handling IM and SMS (say, maybe you wanted your IM to alwasy use OTR, but not for SMS). The sad thing is, contrary to what Google claims, I don't think publishing a Google app that did most things would have been untenable while basing the work off of existing standards. I think it would probably have been easier.
- motoboi 11y ago
  Adopt an standardized OS would push manufacturers out of business. They don't want to be recognized as another android phone, because then consumers would simply move tho the cheapest capable ( or faster, or better camera) android phone. My thought is that Samsung need that it's phones be seen as a totally ( and worth) product that Moto X. So they can monetize on this perceived value.
  - e12e 11y ago
    I don't think they'll be able to hold off comodization of the handset market much longer. Then again: Apple is doing well on x86 (laptops). We'll see.

> crappy apps like hangouts. What's wrong with Hangouts? I quite like having an all-in-one text message + internet message + phone and video call app that I can use from my phone and computer web browser seamlessly...

x0x0 11y ago
messages that don't send people that never appear online, even when you appear online to them the ui disaster, and how I had to google to figure out how to sign out of it my phone staying signed in and eating messages that I would much rather have had delivered to my laptop where I was actively conversing all of this on a nexus running stock 4.4.latest
72deluxe 11y ago
I prefer NOT to have it take over SMS messaging because I want to know that the person will receive the message. If I wanted to get in touch with you, there is a conscious decision as to whether I instant message you, ring you, video call you, send an SMS, visit you in person or send you a letter. This shouldn't be removed or hidden - the reliability of the transport medium is important! Half of my contacts never get messages from me in Hangouts. This makes it unreliable, and therefore useless. Additionally, if I video call someone (eg my wife sat the other side of the room), Hangouts informs me that she is not available for a video call. But she has zero notifications or alerts or ringing or ANYTHING. The inability to see if someone is online/offline also makes it useless. If I am having a conversation with someone sat next to me, I would like to know if they're sat next to me else I'll be talking to a wall. Chatting with people on Hangouts is like talking to a wall. It truly is bad. EDIT: I noticed the INSTANT downvote after writing this. Are you disagreeing with me on Hangouts or something? Or are you saying that I made all of this up or something? Hangouts does not work for me, full stop. I have used Android since 1.5 and Talk was far superior. The lack of proper UI (screen-width listview for contacts????) and behaviour on Hangouts (I am using a tablet) does not encourage decent applications. Compare the quality of Hangouts to GMail on a tablet for reference.
- katbyte 11y ago
  Weird, I've found hangouts to be nothing but great with no missing messages.. however i (and pretty much everyone i talk to) just use it on iOS/chrome and not tied into sms like iMessage. The only issue I've had is it tends to chow through my battery. When i was playing around with an andriod you could choose to have it take over sms or not, is that no longer an option?
  - Mikeb85 11y ago
    > When i was playing around with an andriod you could choose to have it take over sms or not, is that no longer an option? No it's still an option. They just didn't bother to look for it, or don't realise that they may not have the phone number and Google profile of their contacts synced... But yes, if the person you're messaging has a phone number and Hangouts profile, and those are applied to the same contact, you can choose to SMS them or send a Hangouts message.
    - 72deluxe 11y ago
      I have it disabled for SMS messages. I am not so much complaining that it offers SMS tie-in, more that it is unreliable in its transportation, so knowing how you're sending a message is more important if you want the person to receive it. The problem exists for iPhone users as well I think - Messages will send via SMS or Internet and there is confusion amongst my relatives with regard to it. They don't know if they've sent an SMS or if it's gone via the Internet, so I won't get messages on my Mac/iPad because it's gone via SMS etc. etc. Muddying the method of communication is a disservice.
- vilmosi 11y ago
  The problem is you don't even try to make hangouts work for you. You complain that you can't even choose between SMS and instant chat, yet hangouts offers that effortlessly. And you ca see someone online/offline, you can even see exactly the last time they opened the app. It's fine to not like Hangouts, but your complaints are just plain false.
nitrogen 11y ago
Hangouts gets slower with every version, to the point that my older dual-core phone can no longer run it at all -- it just hangs.
talideon 11y ago
It's a bit half-assed, at least on phones, especially with its SMS handling.

creshal 11y ago

And most "branded" Android distributions still manage to be worse.

e12e 11y ago

I just wish they'd made a real effort to make Android more open - say make a real push to get commitment from all OEMs to support ASOP. That way it would've been much easier to make different Android distributions, than it is now. Unfortunately, Google does not only seem to not care about that, but is actively moving much of the useful APIs to closed source, locked down Google properties. At least we still have Linux and Mozilla (and Canonical), so I still think more open mobile/tablet/phone platforms are comming. They might run Android apps -- or might not. They might be able to work with a workable for-profit/pay marketplace/app-store (AFAIK the only working such market place for open OS' is Steam -- maybe Valve will eat everyone's lunch in the end. Steam for mobile apps and games? Why not.). Hangout exemplifies everything that is bad with the path Google is on. It replaces a system based on open standards, that (mostly, except for federation?) welcomed any and all existing clients -- and a system that allowed for having separate apps for handling IM and SMS (say, maybe you wanted your IM to alwasy use OTR, but not for SMS). The sad thing is, contrary to what Google claims, I don't think publishing a Google app that did most things would have been untenable while basing the work off of existing standards. I think it would probably have been easier.

motoboi 11y ago
Adopt an standardized OS would push manufacturers out of business. They don't want to be recognized as another android phone, because then consumers would simply move tho the cheapest capable ( or faster, or better camera) android phone. My thought is that Samsung need that it's phones be seen as a totally ( and worth) product that Moto X. So they can monetize on this perceived value.
- e12e 11y ago
  I don't think they'll be able to hold off comodization of the handset market much longer. Then again: Apple is doing well on x86 (laptops). We'll see.