Great news. I'm probably more likely to use Sync, but seeing not one but two well regarded Android Reddit apps migrate to Lemmy is just bloody awesome.

I don't think this thread was created by one of them — the creator of this thread isn't listed as a mod over there.

Like @Devgard I was tempted to lock or delete this thread — I feel like it's a bit of a shitty thing to post — but it's pretty clear from the upvotes that most people are excited for it. So... Whatever will be, will be!

Man. Nilay's ego can be a bit irritating at times, but he's damn good at holding brands to account. Their editorial policies around background information, NDAs and transparency are likewise much stronger than lot of publishers these days.

Thanks Jeff, I appreciate the candour and respectful response here. I confess I was initially miffed that somebody would promote a 'competing' c here, but I quickly realised I'm not interested in rivalries here. Life's busy enough as it is!

I think we're doing pretty well here, but the idea of an instance dedicated to tech is appealing. Happy to chat about it. I'm @mikestevens on Telegram.

Haha, how ironic. I downloaded the old Lemmur from F-Droid today, having no idea it had been abandoned. When I couldn't add lemmy.world, I knew something was up.

It's a good looking app, so good on your resurrecting it!

As for a name... Given it's a resurrected app, how about Zommur? 😁

Motorola MA1 for me, works every time without fail. I'm a motoring journalist so I'm in new cars all the time, and the MA1 provides an identical connection speed and stability to what I experience on those cars with wireless AA already equipped.

I'm pretty glad to have both options. I take your point about using it while charging, but I also find myself having to jump up from my desk quite a bit, and it's nice to be able to just pick up my phone without first unplugging it. And I imagine all of that plugging and unplugging is reducing the durability of the port over time.

Asking for recommendations usually means hoping your peers will have personal experience, which beats just searching for phones and reading the reviews that may or may not have ill intent.

That's pretty weird. Are you using a Pixel? I've heard of some of them having a bug that matches what you describe.

Other than that, it makes no sense at all!

I come and go from both iOS and Android, but on the whole I much prefer Android.

There are four things that keep me wondering if I'll go back to an iPhone:

1. the Watch
2. Airdrop
3. the general seamless integration across Apple devices
4. better art/design/editing apps

That said, these things keep me on Android:

1. really really love that it's more of a computer in the way it handles file management at OS level and across apps.
2. related to point 1: Background activity. Far fewer apps on Android require you to keep the app open while they work away, which is intensely valuable to me in my workflow.
3. core OS app alternatives, and easy sideloading of good apps that aren't quite 'legal' (😎)

(Apple has improved in these areas, but I'm still more impressed with Android's approach, despite the inherent security risks)

I mean, exactly none of the above is important to regular people, and even most iOS 'power users' are adamant they don't need that level of system access badly enough to leave iOS for it. Which is cool! But I'm glad I have it, and frankly I find my Samsung S23 Ultra experience to be better in just about every way than the various times I boot up my iPhone 13 Pro. (And I've absolutely spent enough time in both camps to know what I'm talking about. 😂)

My iPhone 13 Pro is now not much more than a camera and a gaming machine with the Razer Kishi V2 attached, haha.

That said, there are four things that keep me wondering if I'll go back to an iPhone:

1. the Watch. The Apple Watch is still the best watch around. I've had the Pixel Watch and the Galaxy Watch 4, and I still miss the Apple Watch 5 gathering dust in my drawer. I prefer the shape (which is why I have an old Oppo Watch and a Huawei Watch Fit 2), and it just does so much more than any Wear OS watch.

2. Airdrop. Yes, Android has its own take on this concept, but when you use an Android phone with a Macbook, the options are far fewer. Syncthing, Airdroid, Snapdrop, etc. None of them are quite as good.

3. the general seamless integration across Apple devices.

4. Better art/design/editing apps.

You sound fun

Ah that sucks. I admit I've never noticed as I use dark mode permanently!

Yep. As a motoring journalist myself, I get to use wireless AA in a lot of new cars and it's mostly fine now (if not perfect).

Well yeah, but that's the difference between volunteering and being on a big salary. Hopefully the influx of new users will lead to more code input though, and more donations.

I'm not too surprised by this, tbh. Cars are a lethal object, and even though you can get all manner of aftermarket infotainment systems, that doesn't mean Google would want to have any culpability in a crash that occurred using a system running in an open-source system of its own making. You know how the legal system can be when apportioning blame...

Yeah, that's the problem for me. I prefer Android, but I can't quit the Macbook. The M1 and M2 chips are just so far ahead of the Windows options in terms of power and battery life, and I confess I much prefer MacOS over Windows too. And, since I'm not a PC gamer, I'm not really fussed about that aspect of things.

There are some good points here, but as commenters on the post have noted, you can achieve a similar level of ecosystem integration with Samsung devices. I have an S23U and a Tab S8, and they're beautifully integrated.

It's true that Apple has a much faster cadence of adding clever or exciting new features, but I can't remember the last one that took up a rent-free lease in my head.

Really, I'm my own worst enemy with some of the stuff. I prefer Android over iOS, but I prefer MacOS over Windows. So, because I have a macbook, I'm missing out on the deeper integration Windows and Android users get.

That said, I've used Windows Phone Link on a work computer, and feels a lot clunkier than the way my old iPhone integrated with my Macbook. Hell, it doesn't even support RCS. That is just egregious.

Well actually, they haven't officially said. This article might've just stumbled upon a bug. One of the commenters suggests he could do it for a while, but not after a dot update.

Alas no, I prefer Mac. That's why I was focused on a Web interface, haha.

Can't believe the @ mention function is case sensitive 😂

Absolutely.

No, me! Take me!

That, and you still can't follow hashtags in the official app. Kinda insane really.

Really? Wow! How do you find it?

Damn mate, this is pretty substantial already. Well done!

Each to their own indeed!

Yeah I don't even bother using it with a cable, it's a shit experience. If the car I'm in doesn't have wireless AA, I just take a cradle and use my phone display as my infotainment display.

Wireless AA is a bit crap in some cars, great in others. Often gets taken out or interrupted by overhead e-tag gantries too, but I find it reconnects/resumes quickly enough.

Go for it!

I do wonder though if we'd be better off with a series of threads devoted to particular app types... A thread for task/project management apps, a thread for notes apps, etc.

My fellow Aussie, Sam Beckman, does great weekly vids on his favourite Android apps. https://youtube.com/@sambeckman

Yeah I like the Samsung browser too. I think I'm just too obsessed with chrome's tab grouping. Can't bring myself to give it up!

Good catch, thanks!

So far I've only given my kids Samsung tablets and no phones yet, but Google's Family Link has pretty solid features and usability.

Seems like some habits are going to follow us from reddit. Downvoting at the drop of a hat is such a miserable shitty thing to do, but many seem wedded to it.

Ah damn it, that's what I was doing wrong. Thanks!

Post needs a major update already 😂

Exactly.

Yeah, this is the way. Phones are more than big enough these days!

Came here to say this. Others would require mounting an Android tablet, I imagine.

Those all sound like fair complaints! Pretty glad I don't use it much, haha. My main purpose for it is sharing photos of my kids with my parents a few states away.

Haha, well sure they are, but requiring the correct case when @mentioning someone isn't very user-friendly — and it's certainly rare to the point of more likely being a bug.

Ouch! Yeah, these sorts of posts really put me off folding phones for now. Maybe they'll be less vulnerable to failure in the future, but for now I'll stick with the S series.

What phone are you using?

Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Are you happy with it? What are its best and worst qualities?

Absolutely love it. It's only the second Galaxy model to be sold with the Snapdragon chip in 🇦🇺 Australia, after the S22. I had an S21 Ultra (Exynos) and decided to wait for the S23, because of the rumours that the cameras would be improved.

Glad I waited, and also very glad to have an included stylus, because I'm a photographer and designer, so the stylus is bloody useful!

I honestly can't think of an downsides to this phone, I'm so damn satisfied with it.

Which phones have you had previously? Which were the best and worst of the lot?

As noted above, I had the S21 Ultra previously. I actually bought a Pixel 7 Pro when it was released, but after about a month I decided that while it was a great phone with some clever new features, I still preferred my S21 Ultra — so I sold the Pixel 7 Pro and went back to my Samsung!

Other previous phones, let me think... First modern smartphone was the iPhone 3G, followed by iPhone 4, iPhone 5S, HTC Desire, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Sony XPeria V, LG Nexus 5X, Google Pixel, Google Pixel 2, iPhone 11 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S10, iPhone 13 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, S23 Ultra.

Not sure if that order is exactly right... haha.

How often do you upgrade to a new phone?

Usually every year, to be honest, which obviously isn't super responsible either financially or in terms of e-waste, but it really is my number one addiction. 😂

What other Android ecosystem devices do you have? Watches, headphones/earbuds, etc.

Galaxy Watch 4, Pixel Watch, Galaxy Tab S4 (now my son's), Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (now my daughter's), and a Galaxy Tab S8.

Oh, and the Chromecast with Google TV.

Do you also use any Apple products, or are you Android all the way? (And/or Windows, Linux, ChromeOS, etc.)

I have an iPad Pro A12X (pre-M1, annoyingly) for drawing with Procreate, and I still have my iPhone 13 Pro — mostly just for shooting videos for work, since phone gimbals integrate better with iOS than they do with Android (or maybe just Samsung). I also have a work-supplied MacBook Pro 14" M1 Max.

Lastly, I also have a pair of AirPods Pro that I bought for my iPhone but now mostly only use with my Macbook, and a pair of Beats Fit Pro that I absolutely love using with my S23 Ultra. I was tempted by the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro, but I really prefer buds with winglets for a more secure fit.