Android Seems To Be Getting Worse.

[Renato1 (Renato)]

When I first came across Android version 2.3 some year back in a phone and a tablet - I was amazed. It worked very well, the only real limitation then was processor speed and small RAM. I thought that this was something that could only get better with later versions, and give Apple a run for their money.

I've now come to the conclusion that Android has gotten worse. I've got Android 4.2 and 4.4 tablets and phones - and they aren't as good as the old Android 2.3 was. These later versions have major problems like where they stopped the feature which lets you move apps to SD card - so that you can only use the SD card for storage of photos and videos and books. They designated internal storage as being "SD Card 0", which stuffed up all the App 2 SD apps.

Similarly, if one does something the phone doesn't like for some reason (like move big chunks of data from the phone to the actual SD card) suddenly you find that you can't install any new apps into the phone because of "Insufficent Storage", when the actual data storage is relatively empty and there should be space for hundreds of apps. Googling this, one finds dozens of solutions for this common problem, but none of them worked on my phone. In the end, I had to do a Factory Reset and start from scratch.

How can it be that such a major and common problem has remained unaddressed in subsequent versions of Android? With version 2.3 I could put as many apps into the device as I liked, but with later versions I have to be sparse, always wondering if the next app I install will stuff the device up with "Insufficient Storage".

Even more odd, in my recently purchased whiz-bang Lenovo A916 Octa-core, Android 4.4 phone, I download the Skype or Youtube apps, and they just don't work (everyone else has the same problem with this phone). How can Skype not work in a phone?

Quite frankly, if some one says their IPhone or IPad is much better than Android - I am not going to argue.

Has anybody tried Android 5 yet? Is it as good as Android 2.3 was?
Cheers,
Renato

[RB (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by Renato1

Quite frankly, if some one says their IPhone or IPad is much better than Android - I am not going to argue.
Cheers,
Renato

My iPhone and iPad are much better than Android.

RB

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by RB

My iPhone and iPad are much better than Android.

RB

I'm not going to argue with that proposition.

Though if one only wants to access the internet on a train or overseas, the Iphone and Ipad may be overkill. Especially when travelling overseas when everything is more likely to get stolen.
Cheers,
Renato

[pluto (Hugh)]

Originally Posted by Renato1

Has anybody tried Android 5 yet? Is it as good as Android 2.3 was?

I would say much better, but then I haven't experienced any of the problems you seem to be having with KitKat. I find Lollipop much nicer to use than any other version.

Are you using clean Android on a Nexus device? because if you're not then your problems might be due to something the maker of your device has done on top of Android.

if someone says their iPhone or iPad is much better than the bloated Android shipped by the likes of Samsung then I'd probably agree.
if someone says their iPhone or iPad is much better than a nexus phone/tab running proper Android then I'd probably disagree.
That's not to say iOS is bad though, I quite like it too

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

The Move To SD Card function is still functional in 4.4, it is though and always had been controlled by the app developer as to whether they would let you move the app.

I looked through my app list and most won't move, but the eBay so still let's you.

But still, you can put an SD card in most android phones, you don't get that option on an idevice, you just have to buy a new one.

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by tlgerdes

The Move To SD Card function is still functional in 4.4, it is though and always had been controlled by the app developer as to whether they would let you move the app.

I looked through my app list and most won't move, but the eBay so still let's you.

But still, you can put an SD card in most android phones, you don't get that option on an idevice, you just have to buy a new one.

In my two year old Medion Android 4.1.1 phone, it had Move to SD card in the Manage Apps section - but when one did so, it only moved the apps the the phone's internal storage, which it had designated as SD Card 0. And no third party App2SD apps would move them. Puzzled at the time, I Googled it and found that owners of the the new Samsung had the same issue, but that it was to be fixed in an update.

My Lenovo phone has Android 4.4.1 on it, and it just doesn't move anything to SD card, or pretend to do so. So I did a bit of Googling, and at one site one knowledgeable chap said not to bother, stating that the specs had changed in Android 4 such that the SD card could not be used for anything other than storage - and he gave a link to the relevant part of the Android specifications which made it so (I can't find that link, unfortunately).

So, it appears that if an Android 4 phone is actually moving apps to the SD card, it is something that the manufacturer has done, rather than something inherent in Android.

As you say, a big advantage of Android was that you could put an SD card into it, unlike the Idevices. But the new specs got rid of part of that functionality.

Regards,
Renato

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by pluto

I would say much better, but then I haven't experienced any of the problems you seem to be having with KitKat. I find Lollipop much nicer to use than any other version.

Are you using clean Android on a Nexus device? because if you're not then your problems might be due to something the maker of your device has done on top of Android.

if someone says their iPhone or iPad is much better than the bloated Android shipped by the likes of Samsung then I'd probably agree.
if someone says their iPhone or iPad is much better than a nexus phone/tab running proper Android then I'd probably disagree.
That's not to say iOS is bad though, I quite like it too

I'm glad to hear that Android 5 is working for you. I hope it will for me too one day.

Android 2.3 works marvellously in my old Kogan 10" and 7" tablets and in my old no-name dual SIM Android phone from Hong Kong. The only reason I'm still not using that phone is because it only had 2G.

Android 4.1 works well in my two year old Medion phone, but it has the not being able to Move to SD card issue, which limits how many apps one can actually put into it. It occasionally had the "Insufficent Storage" problem, but uninstalling a recently installed app got rid of the issue.

Android 4.4 seems to work okay in one tablet I have (but I haven't used it much), and is a pain in my Lenovo 5.5" phone for the reasons I've previously given.

I think that I've learned my lesson - before buying a new Android phone, I would have been wise to check out the reviews at GSMArena - where people seem to have even more problems than me.

I guess the main reason I'll stick with Android is the dual active SIM feature that many of them have. My main Virginmobile SIM card works very well everywhere, except for where I live. The second Lebara SIM card doesn't work in lots of places, but works excellently where I live. And when I go to Europe I use an Italian SIM card for calls and data in one slot, and the international SIM card in the other slot for use when out of Italy.
Cheers,
Renato

[AG Hybrid (Adrian)]

Why did you buy's Lenovo phone?

[Bassnut (Fred)]

Originally Posted by Renato1

I'm not going to argue with that proposition.

Though if one only wants to access the internet on a train or overseas, the Iphone and Ipad may be overkill. Especially when travelling overseas when everything is more likely to get stolen.
Cheers,
Renato

I have an iphone. Anything to do with "moving" or "copying" anything is a nightmare or impossible, dont even think about it. Its not overkill, its just kill. Unless you just want make phone calls/message and look at cats on FB, iphone is about as frustrating as techy stuff can get.

[LewisM]

Originally Posted by RB

My iPhone and iPad are much better than Android.

RB

Yep, I can see you in line Andrew for the iWatch...

[RB (Andrew)]

Originally Posted by LewisM

Yep, I can see you in line Andrew for the iWatch...

Actually no, I'm not a Apple fanboy, far from it.
The only thing I have from Apple is an iPhone 4S and an iPad.
Everything else is Windows.

I just couldn't resist replying to Renato.

[Neutronstar (T)]

Originally Posted by Renato1

Quite frankly, if some one says their IPhone or IPad is much better than Android - I am not going to argue.

I will,

I have to support all three platforms at my work, Android, Windows Phone and iPhone. While all of them have issues the Android has been the most common device with the least issues for me and my colleague to deal with. Android has been the only platform that has not had runaway bugs and issues with apps racking up huge data loss costs $$$ and other weird behavior. I've seen more than one iPhone app that drains a battery flat in less than 30 minutes and allow the phone to get as hot as. We had one user that had an iPhone 4 mysteriously have Wifi stop working after an upgrade. Downgraded the iOS and it was still stuffed, seems the FW damaged the Wifi chip, I dunno. Google that one, lot of others had that issue.

They all have issues but Android does not at least restrict access to the USB storage as much as Apple and MS do.

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by AG Hybrid

Why did you buy's Lenovo phone?

I wanted a 5.5" dual SIM phone for a forthcoming overseas trip. And I wanted the phone to take two full SIM cards, rather than with the SIM and micro-SIM slots that have suddenly become the more common version.

This didn't leave much choice apart from Lenovo, who still keep the two full SIM card slot format.

But, as it turned out, it isn't a two active SIM phone, rather a two SIM standby phone. At the FAQ at their site, they say that feature can't be changed. But at GSMArena the users listed a code to punch in which turned it into a dual active SIM phone.
Regards,
Renato

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by Bassnut

I have an iphone. Anything to do with "moving" or "copying" anything is a nightmare or impossible, dont even think about it. Its not overkill, its just kill. Unless you just want make phone calls/message and look at cats on FB, iphone is about as frustrating as techy stuff can get.

But everyone keeps telling me how marvellous Iphone is!
Cheers,
Renato

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by RB

I just couldn't resist replying to Renato.

I have that effect on people.
Cheers,
Renato

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by Neutronstar

I will,

I have to support all three platforms at my work, Android, Windows Phone and iPhone. While all of them have issues the Android has been the most common device with the least issues for me and my colleague to deal with. Android has been the only platform that has not had runaway bugs and issues with apps racking up huge data loss costs $$$ and other weird behavior. I've seen more than one iPhone app that drains a battery flat in less than 30 minutes and allow the phone to get as hot as. We had one user that had an iPhone 4 mysteriously have Wifi stop working after an upgrade. Downgraded the iOS and it was still stuffed, seems the FW damaged the Wifi chip, I dunno. Google that one, lot of others had that issue.

They all have issues but Android does not at least restrict access to the USB storage as much as Apple and MS do.

Very interesting perspective, thanks.

When I read stuff like what you point out - I don't feel so bad about my Android issues.
Cheers,
Renato

[Neutronstar (T)]

My biggest gripe with Android is the variation of bloatware you will get from device to device and brand to brand, And not being able to remove it , at least easily. If I don't use, say, dropbox, why should I have the app forced upon me in the OS? I'd rather have a bare minimum of apps with the phone when delivered. Also with Android from brand to brand of device you will have to deal with variations in the base installed email client. They are all a somewhat different.

But all this is more from the viewpoint of a person who has to support lots of users. I guess if you buy one device you only have that to deal with.

For a long time I have realised that none of the OSes, be it Mac, Windows, iOS, Android etc are perfect and none are 100% reliable, particularly after we start adding other companies software.

[Bassnut (Fred)]

Originally Posted by Renato1

But everyone keeps telling me how marvellous Iphone is!
Cheers,
Renato

It is!. Very smooth and smick for simple everyday stuff, just dont try and do anything remotely interesting or different with it, or it will bite you hard.

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by Neutronstar

My biggest gripe with Android is the variation of bloatware you will get from device to device and brand to brand, And not being able to remove it , at least easily. If I don't use, say, dropbox, why should I have the app forced upon me in the OS? I'd rather have a bare minimum of apps with the phone when delivered. Also with Android from brand to brand of device you will have to deal with variations in the base installed email client. They are all a somewhat different.

But all this is more from the viewpoint of a person who has to support lots of users. I guess if you buy one device you only have that to deal with.

For a long time I have realised that none of the OSes, be it Mac, Windows, iOS, Android etc are perfect and none are 100% reliable, particularly after we start adding other companies software.

I didn't know what was meant by bloatware earlier, but now I understand. So, Samsung are among the worse for this?

My first two Android phones only had what could be considered the essentials pre-installed. The Medion one only had the Aldis app that I would now consider as bloatware. But the new Lenovo has a lot more - some seem useful, though why it has three browsers and three clocks I don't know. I just go into the Manage Apps and disable the ones I don't like - though they still occupy space being there.

My friend writes software, and it would be fare to say that he greatly dislikes Apple. According to him they are constantly making tiny changes, for little or no apparent reason, that make his software suddenly not work properly, for example, suddenly removing support for Apple's own codecs in its automatic updating. He thinks writing software for Windows is a dream in comparison.

It will be interesting to see what you think if someone comes to you with the "Insufficient Storage" problem.
Cheers,
Renato

[Renato1 (Renato)]

Originally Posted by Bassnut

It is!. Very smooth and smick for simple everyday stuff, just dont try and do anything remotely interesting or different with it, or it will bite you hard.

Can I suspect that there isn't much scope for "rooting" Iphones, that is, getting into its innards (the root directory) and changing things? I notice reading reviews of my new phone that there is a small subsection of users who are doing that with a lot of Android phones like my one, then using tools to change how it works to overcome the manufacturer's limitations. That's how some have gotten around the APP2SD problem and moved big games across to the SD card.
Cheers,
Renato