Smartphone Maker Nothing Retreats on Bloatware After User Backlash (androidauthority.com) 40
Nothing has announced that it will allow users to delete Facebook, Instagram and other Meta services from its mid-range and entry-level phones after users objected to the company's decision to pre-install these apps. The update will arrive by the end of November for devices running the Android 16-based OS 4.0 on the Phone (3a) series. Nothing said it will continue to pre-install partner apps on non-flagship devices in most regions.
Devices in the United Kingdom, European Union and Japan will also come with TikTok installed by default. The company defended the practice by saying most users rely on these apps and that pre-installing them allows faster cold starts. Carl Pei's company blamed razor-thin margins on mid-range devices for the decision to bundle third-party software. Nothing did not address whether users can uninstall the service that powers newly introduced lock screen advertisements, which the company previously described as disabled by default and standard across the industry.
Devices in the United Kingdom, European Union and Japan will also come with TikTok installed by default. The company defended the practice by saying most users rely on these apps and that pre-installing them allows faster cold starts. Carl Pei's company blamed razor-thin margins on mid-range devices for the decision to bundle third-party software. Nothing did not address whether users can uninstall the service that powers newly introduced lock screen advertisements, which the company previously described as disabled by default and standard across the industry.
Remember when (Score:2)
The days when a device was delivered as just a device were divine.
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Devices in the United Kingdom, European Union and Japan will also come with TikTok installed by default. The company defended the practice by saying most users rely on these apps and that pre-installing them allows faster cold starts.
100% Bullshit. They get paid to pre-install these apps. That is the **ONLY** reason they are doing it.
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blamed razor-thin margins on mid-range devices for the decision to bundle third-party software.
I mean they are kinda saying as such and I kinda feel them, you can't leverage like Apple Google or Samsung but maybe if they just straight up said "hey its pre-installed apps or it costs $50 more" and let the customer decide.
Personally I wouldn't buy one of their phones anyway but I do have their Ear(a) earbuds and they are quite nice.
Re:Remember when (Score:4, Funny)
I remember Nothing.
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Re:Remember when (Score:4)
Android pre installs that Google Chrome malware.
The first thing I do on a new phone is install Firefox.
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I bought my Mac IIci with no hard drive. Had to install the OS on one via floppy disc.
Oh yes, those were the days. Especially when I had to install the X11 system for A/UX. I think that was 80 discs. Just nuts. If you were lucky, it installed on the first try.
I was never that lucky.
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Remember when Windows 95 wasn't installing the IP stack by default? Better yet you had to buy it as Trumpet Winsock for Windows 3.x ?
What are they selling (Score:2)
NONE of my portable devices have any social media crapware on them.
If I can not access something via a web browser with ad/spay/etc filters that have automatic cookie deletion then I don't use the service.
Advertising on the lockscreen? (Score:4, Interesting)
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Don't blame you. They aren't committing to not including the junk with a later OS update.
Where they got their name: (Score:1)
"What's all this extra stuff?"
Vendor: "Nah, nothing."
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My headcanon is that they were named after the features that differentiated their phones from every other Android phone currently in the marketplace.
If you want something that's not an Android phone, you buy an iPhone. All hail the great smartphone duopoly!
And... (Score:2)
Nothing of value was lost (for shareholders, at least).
Nothing should be pre installed (Score:5, Insightful)
Every single phone, when started for the first time, should be spanking clean, with any additional software selected through the setup wizard on first power on cycle.
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Every single phone, when started for the first time, should be spanking clean, with any additional software selected through the setup wizard on first power on cycle.
I'm not familiar with the iPhone setup, but that is simply not realistic with Android systems. Android devices come with a number of apps providing core functionality, Samsung Android devices come with an additional set of apps providing alternatives to the ones Google supply (and some of them are actually better).
I find it annoying that I can't delete apps from either set, apps which I don't need, don't want, and only notice when Play Store updates them every few days. At least crap like Facebook, Instag
Re: Nothing should be pre installed (Score:2)
I call them Shitsungs and don't understand why would anyone agree to that level of bloatware.
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iPhones come with various apps from Apple that are advertised as part of the OS and people expect to be there.
If all they came with was the "Settings" app and the "App Store" app to download everything else, people would riot.
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Riot? Nah, they are good consumer sheep. Just look at the abuse Microsoft has put society through for the past 30 years and yet they are still here.
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He said "chosen at the setup screen".
They could easily have two options: "Install everything from the get-go (RECOMMENDED)" blinking and flashing and a tiny option in text-only link below that, labeled "Manual install" (everyone hates everything manual). And the user would need to type in a CAPTCHA and click a big "I know what I am doing" checkbox to have the phone accept the "manual install" variant.
And "manual install" comes with nothing but Settings and App Store. I mean nothing. Not even the "phone" and
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I'm not familiar with the iPhone setup, but that is simply not realistic with Android systems. Android devices come with a number of apps providing core functionality, Samsung Android devices come with an additional set of apps providing alternatives to the ones Google supply (and some of them are actually better).
It never used to be like this and it doesn't have to be. There was a core set of default apps part of stock Android until Google stripped everything out and replaced it with malware. You can get a replacement suite of these apps on f-droid search 'fossify'.
I find it annoying that I can't delete apps from either set, apps which I don't need, don't want, and only notice when Play Store updates them every few days. At least crap like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are not in that list - they were on a previous phone and all I could do was "Force Stop".
Much of this crap actually can be disabled or uninstalled via the adb shell.
pm disable-user --user 0 ... ...
pm uninstall -k --user 0
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Oh fuck that. Setting up a new phone is a pain in the ass as it is. The last thing I want to do before using it is download a bunch of apps that I expect to come with the OS.
Re: Nothing should be pre installed (Score:2)
What's the drama about? You could have an easy mode and an expert mode?
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I don't see a problem unless the
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I feel the same way about laptops, but good luck with that. My last laptop purchase was a Dell. Between Windows 11 and Dell pre-installs, it literally used half the hardware RAM idling. I slapped Xubuntu on it, and that idles about 1.1 or 1.2gb ram. I'm pretty sure the other 7 gigs of ram was programs just spying on me and sending out my PII to Dell, Microsoft and probably some other folks as well. No thanks.
Don't even get me started on the other bullshit that was loaded in. Of course, Firefox wasn't pre-lo
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I service a lot of Dells. Their update software is useful; the rest is easy to uninstall or disable.
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I was definitely going to put Linux on it, but I was still very surprised that the base Windows+Dell shitware took up 8gb of ram and was doing nothing. I still retain that windows partition just in case I need it, but vast majority of the time I just boot Linux.
I also didn't need an excuse to install Linux. That's cool the Dell software may of had a good use, but one of the primary things I have about OEM computers is all the shitware they install. I still build my own desktops and that's one of the reasons
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Not going to happen. Phone makers bundle software for the same reason computer makers do - they get paid to preinstall software. It helps subsidize the cost.
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Every single phone, when started for the first time, should be spanking clean, with any additional software selected through the setup wizard on first power on cycle.
Nothing? No dialler? No contact list? No Messaging? No Calendar? No function to add NFC cards? And with the messaging what if SMS isn't the default system used in your country? Wouldn't it make sense for WhatsApp to be preinstalled in places like Brazil? Android phones are modular by design, every function is an app. Bonus points if you release a phone without a Store app installed on it, what do you do then? You have no browser right? You said no additional software. So you expect every user to use Android
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Nothing? No dialler? No contact list? No Messaging? No Calendar? No function to add NFC cards? And with the messaging what if SMS isn't the default system used in your country? Wouldn't it make sense for WhatsApp to be preinstalled in places like Brazil? Android phones are modular by design, every function is an app. Bonus points if you release a phone without a Store app installed on it, what do you do then? You have no browser right? You said no additional software. So you expect every user to use Android Debug Bridge to setup their phone?
This is childish pedantry.
Android phones. (Score:2)
Since we're all bitching about various phones and whatnot...
Question to the herd.
I'm running a OnePlus 7T Pro phone. Still works great. Stuck on Android 12. Should I go the LineageOS route for 13 or 14, or get a new phone? And which phone as long as it's not iPhone or Samsung. My past experiences over three phone versions of Samsung have put me off their phones for life, unless proven otherwise.
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Ger a fairphone?
No bloatware, 7 years of updates, unlocked for whatever OS you want, spare parts sold and easy to replace. Tool free battery replacement in less than 10 seconds.
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Motorola's are inexpensive, have very few changes to Android, and most still come with headphone jacks.
Money (Score:2)
I think that for every $1 received for by a manufacturer or carrier for installing an app on a phone, the customer should receive 50 cents. Split it right down the middle.
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But you just got done posting that setting up a new smartphone is already a pain in the ass and the last think you want to do is download a bunch of apps. So what do you really want? Freedom to choose your own apps or a small discount off the phone?
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You seem to be ignoring the distinction between apps provided by the manufacturer and third party apps.
The manufacturer's "clock" app included with the OS isn't something the manufacturer is paid to install. Something like "Facebook" is a different story.
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Would you argue a web browser should be included? If so, who's or maybe all of them?
I think most of us would be happy with a phone that came with the essential apps (calculator, clock, calendar, app store) and none of the "extra" stuff that gets put on there for money. Of course, even Samsung includes plenty of "extras" that you don't really need but could easily get off their app store which is installed on a Samsung by default.
I suppose if someone bought a Pixel, they would be perfectly fine with all the
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Would you argue a web browser should be included? If so, who's or maybe all of them?
Yes. Whichever the phone manufacturer felt like including, which would probably be Safari for Apple and Chrome for most anything else.
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Well, what do you expect from Nothing...lol (Score:2)