Database Info

Android "List what you dislike or hope to see changed"

Sorry mods if i placed this in the wrong section but I just hope google reads this and fixes its faults. I want everyone reading this to post there issues or dislikes so we can enjoy this UI more while providing the best experience to us and other earthlings out there.
1. standby - I noticed the battery life is pretty good when it comes to playing movies,music and little bit of gaming but the standby is just horrid i know are phones are powerful as umpc but there should be a better way to lower consumption on sleep mode.
2. market - not really liking the new layout it needs to be more organized and less oversized.
3. multitasking - it's good obviously between switching to apps right away but sometimes i am left with too much baggage. I suggest there should be a setting to switch this option on/off.
4. scrolling - pretty good but still a little bit of lag now and then. would like the bounce when you hit the edge of the page.
5. UI - needs to be little bit more animated and lively.
6. brightness - the option to lower the level to the lowest.
7. websites - still has some bugs and glitches.
8. sdxc - running out of room here needs support of the extra capaity of sd cards.
9. apps - more quality apps. it seems like they just throw the free ones in the market without fully testing it for bugs. i have to scroll through dozens of unknown users with opinions that are just randomly unbiased.
10. standby again! - please fix this google!!! if i am left stranded from my car broken down or if i am vacationing to another then i'm screwed. I had a winmo phone did me good lasted more than a week on standby.....

It is not Google who builds the UI, its the phone manufacturer... Motoblur,thouchwiz,Sense etc, not google-builds.
To much baggage?, Try downloading and installing an app killer from market.
What other category is there to add to market btw?
Scrolling, I would think this is directly from your phone and not cause of Google...
again, try app killer to free up some ram.

-i7- said:
It is not Google who builds the UI, its the phone manufacturer... Motoblur,thouchwiz,Sense etc, not google-builds.
To much baggage?, Try downloading and installing an app killer from market.
What other category is there to add to market btw?
Scrolling, I would think this is directly from your phone and not cause of Google...
again, try app killer to free up some ram.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not talking about category but how the market is viewed it's all oversized block columns I prefer it to be more smaller and with more information in each block. I know there are app killers but it's better if it's official built running it would be more stabled and furthermore i hope more people will list there dislikes or changes about android and maybe google and the phone manufacturers will see this and make some fixes to there next builds. i want this thread to be seen by google from future post from xda users dislikes and hoping to change the faults....

Battery usage is my biggest complaint.

Mcds said:
5. UI - needs to be little bit more animated and lively.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean?
Live wallpapers arent animated and lively enough for you? Do you use widgets?

hungry81 said:
What do you mean?
Live wallpapers arent animated and lively enough for you? Do you use widgets?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
usually when i compare the ebay iphone app to android it's less animated it's dull coming from someone in there thirties i can get to bored easily. don't get me wrong i'm using the 2g iphone it's smooth also laggy my 1ghz android is smooth but the phone doesn't animate i guess it depends on what apps you get also...
---------- Post added at 07:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:18 AM ----------
gigem01 said:
Battery usage is my biggest complaint.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the answer I am looking for from all of you, what you want to change! this deserves a thanks!

Android market has one of the worst layouts..(Both in Android as well as on Website) Despite having all the resources at disposal why they are still taking time to improve the layout?(Laziness??)

message apk should be improved

Given your initial post it sounds as though WP7 may be a better OS to suit your needs.

i dont quite understand #6
"6. brightness - the option to lower the level to the lowest."
my past 2 Android phones (G2 & currently my 4G Touch) have always been able to lower the brightness all the down.

comedy said:
i dont quite understand #6
"6. brightness - the option to lower the level to the lowest."
my past 2 Android phones (G2 & currently my 4G Touch) have always been able to lower the brightness all the down.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mcds is confusing hardware with Android. Basically he'd like the lowest brightness setting on his phone to be dimmer.
You know how the lowest brightness setting on one phone can actually be brighter than a different model, just as the highest setting can be brighter on one handset compared with a different model. It's down to the hardware, not Android.

all these things can be fixed with either a new ROM new kernel or just an app download... when it comes to android, if you know wt u doing then there is nothing that cant be fixed/tweeked to ur liking... that's the power of android my friend RECOGNIZEEEEEEEEEE

Doesn't matter what app, kernel, or rom you download. After androids attempts at emulating ios and wp7s fluid UIs they've proven, the UI just isn't going to get good. To me the UI is half of the reason I buy a phone with the other half being gaming and social integration (be it Facebook or texting) perhaps a small percentage of it is battery life but with my transition to wp7 a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I realized I never wanted to dissect my phone just to increase the fps by 10, I did it because I wanted to make my mobile experience bearable. Now, I have everything I want out of the box.

Smartphones are app platforms, whatever flavour the OS is. Most of what people spend time doing on their phone, whether it be texting, gaming or emailing, is using apps. UI isn't a factor for me as i only see it for a very brief period until i launch the app i need.
If anything, it's the quality of the apps that should be compared between platforms, not the UI. Android Market could probably do with a bit more quality control, that's my own criticism really. Like for like apps on iOS are often more polished than their Android equivalent.

z33dev33l said:
Doesn't matter what app, kernel, or rom you download. After androids attempts at emulating ios and wp7s fluid UIs they've proven, the UI just isn't going to get good. To me the UI is half of the reason I buy a phone with the other half being gaming and social integration (be it Facebook or texting) perhaps a small percentage of it is battery life but with my transition to wp7 a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. I realized I never wanted to dissect my phone just to increase the fps by 10, I did it because I wanted to make my mobile experience bearable. Now, I have everything I want out of the box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly, you've freely admitted that you found Android too complex, so of course the simplicity of such a basic OS as WP7 is going to appeal, lets face it, it's even less complex than iOS.
It's ideal for people who have never used a touch screen phone before, or even a mobile phone of any kind, especially if they have fat fingers, the sort of people who are not going to notice the lack of functionality but are easily impressed with visual effects.

xaccers, I still find it comical that you call me the troll but eh. I guess if that's your prerogative. I prefer my phone have decent social integration or as they put it, be "peoplecentric." as I use my phone primarily for *gasp* communication. The fact that it's also aesthetically pleasing is just a bonus, another that android does not have.
DirkGently, I agree to some extent, but I guess I feel the way I do because with WP7 the UI is uniform across the whole OS and most third party apps. I've come to appreciate the beauty in that. I do also agree that I see more quality in both the iOS and WP7 versions of apps that are on all platforms.

Let's not forget that you can't connect to ad-hoc wireless networks. I mean... c'mon...this is just lame.

Kinda not related, but i'ld like the source to be mirrored at some more reliable location xD
Getting to topic, i do like the custom overlays(tw, sense, etc..) but they take significant resources and are one of the causes behind slow updates

Wifi is the big problem for me
I have wifi issues with Archos 70 (Android 2.1 to 2.3, rooted), and Arcer Iconia (Honeycomb 3.2 rooted). Android seems does not like my working wifi and stay in obtaining ip most of the time.
And, I plan to listen some online radio (Domi, Douban for say), once the tablet goes to idle mode, wifi disconnected, make it useless. I tried to set wifi disconnect policy, tried wifi alive, wifi lock, wifi buddy and maybe most wifi related apps in the market, none work.
While iTouch works fine for above 2 scenarios.

Battery life and more quality apps. Seriously, has anyone else noticed that Android apps feel kinda rushed and low quality. Especially if that company/app is on iOS. I always felt that the iOS counterparts seem a lot better and that more time and effort is put into them.
Also, improvement on multitasking. I don't really like the little recent app window crap. Something along the lines of WebOS's multitasking screen would be a really nice addition. Also, notifications should be a little more organized. Apple did a good job with this on their notification dropdown ripoff..
-i7- said:
It is not Google who builds the UI, its the phone manufacturer... Motoblur,thouchwiz,Sense etc, not google-builds.
To much baggage?, Try downloading and installing an app killer from market.
What other category is there to add to market btw?
Scrolling, I would think this is directly from your phone and not cause of Google...
again, try app killer to free up some ram.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By UI he probably means Android's base UI, Stock Android. You have to admit, it is pretty meh. Downloading a app killer/task manager is a bad idea. That bogs down Android more than background apps do.

[Q] Some Stupid Questions/Gripes About Android OS

I've used an Android tablet for about a year now, and although I've put in a lot of time to make it useful and controllable, it still has a lot of troubling mysteries. I have a few questions for developer types that hopefully will help shed some light on things:
1. Why don't applications feature a "Close" button? In both Windows and GNU/Linux with a GUI, you get a neat little "X" at the top right of the window. Usually, when you click this, the application terminates. Is that so much to ask for on Android? The means of closing apps on Android seem to be entirely up to the devs and there doesn't appear to be a standard way at all. Some of the apps I've used on Android don't have any way to close them whatsoever, with the exception of killing them from a task manager or the "Manage Apps" section of settings.
2. Why do many of these programs suddenly and mysteriously start running entirely on their own? It's terribly frustrating for me to kill an app and in a half an hour find it there on the task manager list again, running without my having asked for it to do so. Where is this controlled? If there is some sort of task scheduler making this happen, why can't I easily see a list of scheduled tasks and choose which ones to run or not to run?
3. For programs that *are* running in the background (the ones I *want* to have running), why is it that they usually don't have some sort of taskbar icon to indicate at a glance that they are still running?
4. Why can't I see everything that's loading when the tablet starts? I guess I'm asking to see a logcat screen instead of a splash screen. GNU/Linux distros don't usually hide everything from the end user, so why isn't it optional on an Android tablet? Even in custom ROMS all I get are neat looking splash screens, not a terminal interface on boot.
5. Why doesn't a decent firewall application yet exist for Android? All I seem to be able to find are really coarse ones like Droidwall, where it's an all or nothing proposition (allow/block). I'd like to be able to control protocols, ports, zones and individual IP addresses and ranges like a good firewall on Windows or GNU/Linux allows. I am constantly under suspicion that someone is doing something on my tablet without my even being aware of it.
6. Why are permissions for applications so difficult to control? Maybe I don't want some stupid game getting a look at my contacts list. I realize I can just uninstall the game, but so many apps seem to tap into stuff that they shouldn't be allowed to, I feel like some sort of permissions control should be a default standard thing in Android. Instead all there seems to be are a couple of apps on the market that may or may not work.
7. Do any of you developers feel dissatisfied about the state of Android, and does Google take your feedback seriously?
8. Are there any forks of the Android OS that don't rely on Google for anything? I'm not 100 percent sure about the difference between a GNU and an Apache license. How much of the OS is closed-source? Is it enough to prevent a true, fully open-sourced Android-based OS from being made?
Sorry if any of these questions sound stupid, but even though Android is supposed to be more open than iOS, it's still not open enough for my tastes. I actually feel safer using Windows than Android, and that's just not how it should be. Am I alone in this feeling?

Ok. I would honestly say you should have gone with a Windows tablet if you want all those... It's not a computer. It's a mobile device running a mobile os. It's not gonna be a full blown computer.

McMick said:
I've used an Android tablet for about a year now, and although I've put in a lot of time to make it useful and controllable, it still has a lot of troubling mysteries. I have a few questions for developer types that hopefully will help shed some light on things:
1. Why don't applications feature a "Close" button? In both Windows and GNU/Linux with a GUI, you get a neat little "X" at the top right of the window. Usually, when you click this, the application terminates. Is that so much to ask for on Android? The means of closing apps on Android seem to be entirely up to the devs and there doesn't appear to be a standard way at all. Some of the apps I've used on Android don't have any way to close them whatsoever, with the exception of killing them from a task manager or the "Manage Apps" section of settings.
2. Why do many of these programs suddenly and mysteriously start running entirely on their own? It's terribly frustrating for me to kill an app and in a half an hour find it there on the task manager list again, running without my having asked for it to do so. Where is this controlled? If there is some sort of task scheduler making this happen, why can't I easily see a list of scheduled tasks and choose which ones to run or not to run?
3. For programs that *are* running in the background (the ones I *want* to have running), why is it that they usually don't have some sort of taskbar icon to indicate at a glance that they are still running?
4. Why can't I see everything that's loading when the tablet starts? I guess I'm asking to see a logcat screen instead of a splash screen. GNU/Linux distros don't usually hide everything from the end user, so why isn't it optional on an Android tablet? Even in custom ROMS all I get are neat looking splash screens, not a terminal interface on boot.
5. Why doesn't a decent firewall application yet exist for Android? All I seem to be able to find are really coarse ones like Droidwall, where it's an all or nothing proposition (allow/block). I'd like to be able to control protocols, ports, zones and individual IP addresses and ranges like a good firewall on Windows or GNU/Linux allows. I am constantly under suspicion that someone is doing something on my tablet without my even being aware of it.
6. Why are permissions for applications so difficult to control? Maybe I don't want some stupid game getting a look at my contacts list. I realize I can just uninstall the game, but so many apps seem to tap into stuff that they shouldn't be allowed to, I feel like some sort of permissions control should be a default standard thing in Android. Instead all there seems to be are a couple of apps on the market that may or may not work.
7. Do any of you developers feel dissatisfied about the state of Android, and does Google take your feedback seriously?
8. Are there any forks of the Android OS that don't rely on Google for anything? I'm not 100 percent sure about the difference between a GNU and an Apache license. How much of the OS is closed-source? Is it enough to prevent a true, fully open-sourced Android-based OS from being made?
Sorry if any of these questions sound stupid, but even though Android is supposed to be more open than iOS, it's still not open enough for my tastes. I actually feel safer using Windows than Android, and that's just not how it should be. Am I alone in this feeling?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Well, its a mobile OS and it would be rather annoying to have a close button on every (even most) apps. No mobile OS has had a close button
2. That's an app problem, the developer either wanted the app to do that for some function, or they made some mistake in creating causing that to happen.
3. There would be too many apps, and I doubt people want extra notifications in the status bar just informing them what's running. For example, my friends Stratosphere has a status notif whenever WiFi is connected, and it annoys the crap out of me whenever I use it.
4. Probably, because people don't care... remember Android (like WP and iOS) are supposed to appeal to consumers as a phone for "facebook, games, and internet," and if the splashscreen/bootanimation was a logcat, people would just go "wut?" Also, as smartphones get faster and faster, so does bootup time. And there wouldn't be enough time to read what's on the logcat before it fully boots and you're at the lockscreen
5. Ask the devs.
6. Once again, dev thing. They are entitled to putting whatever permission they want, and Google isn't going to stop them. Just think about it though, most people don't care about permissions. iOS doesn't display them (even though they are there) and people download apps like there's no tomorrow anyway.
7. I read somewhere that the main designer of Android was "40% complete" at ICS. It gets me excited at what's next to come, since 4.0+ is already pretty amazing.
8. I'm too retarded to understand this question
Sent from my DROID2 using xda premium

As gagdude said for 1-7.
8. There's the Chinese Aliyun OS which looks and feels a lot like Android but doesn't rely on Google - but I would't try it. You could try Ubuntu Linux if your device supports it.

Android needs to be like apple with updates time to close source this already and just have one phone already
Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

Reopened, but if it gets unproviding and or heads Off Topic, well then I will readdress this thread.....
Thank you and you can Thank user: Syncopath

gagdude said:
No mobile OS has had a close button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong, PocketPC 2002, which I used for 10 years on my HTC Wallaby, had a close button for every application.
@McMick, many of your points struck a chord with me and I have often asked myself the same things since migrating to Android from Pocket PC 2002 on my HTC Wallaby. Certainly points 1, 3, 7 and 8.
Since I jumped from PPC 2002 to Android 2.3.6 I've had the same thoughts. And I was for instance surprised to see that only now (Galaxy Note 2) are the very first steps being taken towards multiple windows.
I agree with point 4 too. On a PC (Linux or Windows) you can choose whether you see what's starting (BIOS and OS boot) or prefer a reassuring animation.
5. I have Avast!Mobile Security which has what is reckoned to be one of the best firewalls for Android, but even that only has, as you say, block or allow (individually for WiFi, 3G and mobile network).
6. The trouble with limiting permissions for apps is that if they can't get the access they want, they won't work. Personally I use the app Privacy Blocker which works around that by feeding the apps you choose not to allow to snoop nonsense information.
However it's not enough just to stand on the sidelines and issue one's wishes to "the developers". The point and the spirit of XDA-developers is that we can all start modifying things if we want to. So instead of saying "Why can't I" the thing to do is to start reading and learning and seeing if you might not after all just be able to ... do something yourself when it comes to your device.
Every Android developer does what appeals to them, which is why there is such a wonderful diversity of ROMs and apps for Android, particularly here on XDA.
So get stuck in and start trying to change things on your own device for a start. On point 5 for instance, you do see a logcat screen when you boot into recovery mode, so perhaps there's a way to display that when booting. If you do get started on modifications in the directions you indicate, I shall certainly follow progress with interest.
Thanks to BigJoe2675.

syncopath said:
Wrong, PocketPC 2002, which I used for 10 years on my HTC Wallaby,
However it's not enough just to stand on the sidelines and issue one's wishes to "the developers". The point and the spirit of XDA-developers is that we can all start modifying things if we want to. So instead of saying "Why can't I" the thing to do is to start reading and learning and seeing if you might not after all just be able to ... do something yourself when it comes to your device.
Every Android developer does what appeals to them, which is why there is such a wonderful diversity of ROMs and apps for Android, particularly here on XDA.
So get stuck in and start trying to change things on your own device for a start. On point 5 for instance, you do see a logcat screen when you boot into recovery mode, so perhaps there's a way to display that when booting. If you do get started on modifications in the directions you indicate, I shall certainly follow progress with interest.
Thanks to BigJoe2675.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
---------------------------
PocketPC 2002, which I used for 10 years :crying::crying: sorry for this....

syncopath said:
Wrong, PocketPC 2002, which I used for 10 years on my HTC Wallaby, had a close button for every application.
@McMick, many of your points struck a chord with me and I have often asked myself the same things since migrating to Android from Pocket PC 2002 on my HTC Wallaby. Certainly points 1, 3, 7 and 8.
Since I jumped from PPC 2002 to Android 2.3.6 I've had the same thoughts. And I was for instance surprised to see that only now (Galaxy Note 2) are the very first steps being taken towards multiple windows.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, but I wasn't born in 2002.
Lol jk I was, but I wasn't "born" to technology back then. I got my first phone only 3 years ago or so... and that just makes it seem that close buttons are now obsolete (on Mobile OSes, at least
Sent from my DROID2 using xda premium

gagdude said:
OK, but I wasn't born in 2002.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
LOL as I believe they say these days. I forgive you instantly! I am amazed by your over 1000 posts in about 4 months.
McMick said:
4. Why can't I see everything that's loading when the tablet starts? I guess I'm asking to see a logcat screen instead of a splash screen. GNU/Linux distros don't usually hide everything from the end user, so why isn't it optional on an Android tablet? Even in custom ROMS all I get are neat looking splash screens, not a terminal interface on boot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The app [root] live logcat by the one and only Chainfire [/hyperbole] should fix this. There are free and paid versions. Something to check out if you're rooted. Please let us know of the results. Added on edit: from Google Play.

syncopath said:
LOL as I believe they say these days. I forgive you instantly! I am amazed by your over 1000 posts in about 4 months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh no that just means I'm a loser and I spend too much time on xda
Sent from my DROID2 using xda premium

@bigjoe,
bigjoe2675 said:
PocketPC 2002, which I used for 10 years :crying::crying: sorry for this....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't quite understand this message, probably due to my inability to correctly interpret emoticons (reverse autism?). Anyway, thanks for re-opening this one because I
think what is being discussed here is worthwhile. Given the pressure of spammer-threat I think the OP should respond soon (or anyone else). Otherwise it will be understandable if you close the thread if you prefer.
bigjoe2675 said:
Reopened, but if it gets unproviding and or heads Off Topic, well then I will readdress this thread.....
Thank you and you can Thank user:
Syncopath
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think I understand your priorities as moderator. This is of course a thread near the "top" of XDA and as such will far more readily attract spammers and other lowlife than further down in the more comfortable device threads where I am more used to posting. So you will want to quickly close any thread that seems to be becoming stale. Right?
@gagdude
gagdude said:
Oh no that just means I'm a loser and I spend too much time on xda
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think so, over 200 thanks didn't come from nowhere!

This is off subject having prob w/ no boot sound for boot anim
Sent from my Huawei-H867G using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Windows Store needs work

I hope MS is going to implement automatic updating of apps from the windows store like Android does. What a pain to have to update apps manually - Every time I go to the store I have 3-4 apps that need updating.
I think the Windows Store needs alot of work - Its not easy to find stuff (Searches are not very effective), and the layout is horrible.
Just saying . . . .

Agreed! then only thing I hate about t Microsoft's new OS is the constant scrolling to the right.... it's painful to mind and body.

guitar1969 said:
I hope MS is going to implement automatic updating of apps from the windows store like Android does. What a pain to have to update apps manually - Every time I go to the store I have 3-4 apps that need updating.
I think the Windows Store needs alot of work - Its not easy to find stuff (Searches are not very effective), and the layout is horrible.
Just saying . . . .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
iOS doesn't have automatic updates either, android is the only one really ahead of its time with this feature, hopefully microsoft implement it, maybe along side windows updates.
I don't really find the layout that horrible though, I find the layout is very consistent with the rest of the os which is just fine.
I don't see the issue with searches either, I search, it works as expected, if you are finding that some apps are not showing up with certain search terms it may actually be the developer not entering enough detail to show up in the search (missing keywords, bad descriptions, etc.)

Automatic updating doesnt work for everyone tho, some apps when updated are broken etc so the option to do it as and when you want is a bonus.
As far as work goes, MS should take a leaf out of the "Play Store" book, especially when it comes to searching for apps from the same people, perhaps change it so where it says who wrote an app you can tap on that bit and it shows you all the apps by that person/company, that'd be a big one for me..

lilstevie said:
iOS doesn't have automatic updates either, android is the only one really ahead of its time with this feature, hopefully microsoft implement it, maybe along side windows updates.
I don't really find the layout that horrible though, I find the layout is very consistent with the rest of the os which is just fine.
I don't see the issue with searches either, I search, it works as expected, if you are finding that some apps are not showing up with certain search terms it may actually be the developer not entering enough detail to show up in the search (missing keywords, bad descriptions, etc.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the search is not intuitive, like Play Store and iTunes. You need to be very specific to get the hits you want. There is an article that discusses this. you would think with Bing techology they would be able to improve it. But you are correct in that it may be the developer's fault with keywords.
Also, on the Start Screen, I want to have the ability to group apps into folders, as I have a ton of apps , and scrolling takes for ever, even with pinching the size down first.

Alternative Mobile OS'

My take on some of the alternative mobile OS' available for preview.
I fell in love with webOS on the Palm Pre+ many years ago. Since leaving Verizon for T-Mobile last year, I have been on a quest to find another mobile OS that I love as much. Currently I am running Beanstalk Android on a Nexus 4 and I do like it. But I am not in love, so I've been using MultiRom to try out many different Android ROMS, as well as Firefox OS, Ubuntu Phone, and most recently Sailfish. So here is my user experience with the non Android alternative mobile OS' running as a secondary ROM on my Nexus 4.
I'll start with Sailfish. I like it's highly gesture featured UI. But the Mako release doesn't have Android support, so I can't evaluate how well the Android apps function on it. The browser is functional but there is room for improvement. I also feel that the left and/or right side-swipes would better serve the user as a way to switch between open apps, instead of them both bringing us back to the home screen. But for the most part, I think Sailfish OS is fun to play around with and shows promise as it keeps developing.
Onto Firefox OS. Personally I feel Firefox OS is very functional, but it doesn't impress me for some reason. I do like the option to make it more gesture based in the settings. I'm a big fan of swiping in from the side edges as a way to switch between open apps. As well as the swipe up from the bottom to return to the home screen. And I applaud the two finger swipe up that brings you into their "Cards View" mode, allowing you to choose or close any open apps. Your a good mobile OS Firefox and I want to love you, but I just don't. It's not you, it's me.
As far as Ubuntu Phone goes, I wanted to fall in love with this mobile OS so bad, but I realize now it's just not going to happen for me. I guess I don't appreciate the scopes as much as others do. The side launcher has never worked smoothly for me, and the copy and paste functions do not work well either. I do like that Ubuntu Phone's "Cards View" mode now supports swipe up to close an app. I also find that the side swipe gesture to switch between the last two apps and the top window shades all work well, aiding to the functionality of the OS. Obviously they need more native apps and it would be great if they incorporated a full blown desktop option mode for those times when the mobile OS can't provide what I need. (As painful as it would be dealing with a full blown desktop OS on a small phone screen, it would be nice to have it just in case the need arises.) Overall Ubuntu Phone is fun to take out on a date, but I doubt we'll be going steady anytime soon.
Lastly if the LuneOS port was strong enough to run as a daily driver, I would wipe my phone and give it a fair try too. But hopefully the day will come when I can add it as a secondary OS using MultiRom. It would be amazing if someone could get a current Android ROM and/or Android Apps running inside a LuneOS card. Just for those times when you need to take advantage of the power of Android and it's market. Eventually, I hope to take LuneOS for a spin.
I would love to hear what you guys think of these and the other alternative Mobile OS' out there. I guess for me, I have been spoiled by webOS, tweaked out, on a Pre3 and I may never be fully satisfied with another mobile OS and device again.

The recent (and multiple) changes in newer official Gapps

Let me say first this- is NOT a tinfoil hat-style thread. I know data gets collected and that is not really the concern I have here. I am more interested in what seems to be an attempt at monopolizing users' devices. What I am trying to start a discussion on is the recent changes in just about every Google-produced apk update and the changes these updates implement into the Android environment. Take GBoard for example....this recent update took an excellent keyboard and added several features to it that are frankly, redundant and unnecessary. Rendering is better in Chrome or Firefox and with "Now on Tap", Google search widget, Google Now, and the browsers themselves this redundancy is borderline meaningless and seems more like bloatware intended to promote people to use google over any other search engine. Android System Webview is almost as meaningless. There is no reason to have an un-configurable web interface coded into every app when it makes more sense to just use a browser with more feature-rich abilities. I could see it maybe useful on slow devices, but anyone with a Qualcomm dual-core or better should not need it.
Then on the other end of the spectrum they have Google Now Launcher, which has not been updated in over a year and is extremely boring in its customizability. NowLauncher has been ignored even though it's the core of the interface. It's as if they are just bored and instead push updates in order to make people feel like things are new, when in fact many of these updates are really downgrades in functionality by causing the operating system to feel schizophrenic.
Now I am certain some will agree and probably more will disagree, but I am finding myself simply disabling or uninstalling more and more of google's totally revamped "upgraded" apps. The level of device synergy they are trying to accomplish appears to be doing the opposite and creating solutions for problems that really didn't exist. These things may pose security issues, but again that is the least of my concern.
It kinda makes me feel like Google's change in direction since the drop of the Nexus line has caused further alienation of those who loved Android for being simple yet customizable. Does anyone out there agree that Google needs to calm down a bit with these changes and maybe consider that add-ons are not improvements? I know one thing for sure- it's beginning to drive me towards AOSP and third party alternatives. I appreciate any and all input. Thanks.

The Now Launcher hasn't been updated because they moved to the Pixel launcher, I guess.
I honestly kinda like the Pixel launcher a lot better than Now launcher, though I don't use either of them. I did try them, but I prefer Nova still.
As for the keyboard, I think what they did was to make stuff more convenient, or at least try it.
The keyboard browser wasn't made to replace an actual browser. It's just for really small searches.
I also find it kinda neat.
I myself don't use Google Now, nor Google Assistant. I don't even have the Google app installed.
So being able to do a quick search right from the keyboard could prove useful in this scenario.
And I'm pretty sure I saw a switch to turn off the search option, so you can still have the old-school keyboard while still having the new features (multilingual predictions).
But I'm not using their keyboard either. It doesn't really have what I need.
Most Google apps don't suit my needs, so I opt not to use them. And that's everybody can do. They aren't forced to use them. Sure, they may come pre-installed on devices, but I'm almost certain that you can disable them if you don't need of use them.