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[Android] Thread v. 2018: Pixel 6 is out. Google might be bad at phones.

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Posts

  • MugsleyMugsley DelawareRegistered User regular
    I've convinced myself to get the Pixel 6 Pro. I put in for notification from Google when it's back in stock. Still not sure how to feel about this.

  • wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    Because getting the olds to remember a pin is never happening. Same reason they all want no code on their phone and get angry at the thought of a password on their email account.

    counterpoint: the rest of the western world that has had chip and pin for over a decade.

    XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
  • LD50LD50 Registered User regular
    It was chip+pin all over here in Vermont for the last several years, but all the stores near me took the pin requirement away with COVID to keep you from needing to touch the pin pad.

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    LD50 wrote: »
    It was chip+pin all over here in Vermont for the last several years, but all the stores near me took the pin requirement away with COVID to keep you from needing to touch the pin pad.

    For debit cards it has been, but not credit cards. That's not a Vermont thing, that's a nationwide thing.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • LD50LD50 Registered User regular
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    LD50 wrote: »
    It was chip+pin all over here in Vermont for the last several years, but all the stores near me took the pin requirement away with COVID to keep you from needing to touch the pin pad.

    For debit cards it has been, but not credit cards. That's not a Vermont thing, that's a nationwide thing.

    Oh, yeah, credit cards don't have pins.

  • a nu starta nu start Registered User regular
    SirToasty wrote: »
    emp123 wrote: »
    I dont think I've ever had to enter a pin number when using the chip, even in countries where there were a bunch of warnings about needing to set up a pin to use your credit card.

    State side some places still want signatures though.

    The store I used to work at still doesn't have chip. It's all swipe. Employees were complaining about it years ago and corporate keeps saying it's on the way. Meanwhile they're constantly getting fraud prevention training and being sent black lights and having to call in for verification.

    My local department store put in the combination chip and swipe readers, but then they just stuck a sign in the chip reader that says to swipe your card. Been like that for 5+ years now.

    Number One Tricky
  • SirToastySirToasty Registered User regular
    a nu start wrote: »
    SirToasty wrote: »
    emp123 wrote: »
    I dont think I've ever had to enter a pin number when using the chip, even in countries where there were a bunch of warnings about needing to set up a pin to use your credit card.

    State side some places still want signatures though.

    The store I used to work at still doesn't have chip. It's all swipe. Employees were complaining about it years ago and corporate keeps saying it's on the way. Meanwhile they're constantly getting fraud prevention training and being sent black lights and having to call in for verification.

    My local department store put in the combination chip and swipe readers, but then they just stuck a sign in the chip reader that says to swipe your card. Been like that for 5+ years now.

    That's exactly what's going on at my place.

  • wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    it's funny, in Canada we have readers that can read swipes, but except for very specific circumstances the readers will only accept chip and pin.

    if you try to swipe a card that has a chip, the Machine will tell you to insert the chip.

    The US is basically the only country in the "west" that still uses swipe cards extensively.

    XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
  • urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    Past few days my phone has been incredibly delayed on getting text messages, phone calls, and my notifications are behind. Sometimes by hours. This accompanied by the "google search taking a full minutes to return results" prompted me to remove Google Fi VPN this morning. Cursory glance shows that it definitely makes the google searches faster. Going to see if it helps my SMS as well.

  • ButtersButters A glass of some milks Registered User regular
    wunderbar wrote: »
    it's funny, in Canada we have readers that can read swipes, but except for very specific circumstances the readers will only accept chip and pin.

    if you try to swipe a card that has a chip, the Machine will tell you to insert the chip.

    The US is basically the only country in the "west" that still uses swipe cards extensively.

    The swipe readers here generally do the same thing now too. The only time my chip cards get swiped are some fuel pumps and some vendors at the farmers market that have gen 1 Square readers.

    PSN: idontworkhere582 | CFN: idontworkhere | Steam: lordbutters | Amazon Wishlist
  • urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    Do you guys recommend a good VPN for your phone? Obviously using Google's kind of defeats the point of a VPN lol.

  • urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    urahonky wrote: »
    Past few days my phone has been incredibly delayed on getting text messages, phone calls, and my notifications are behind. Sometimes by hours. This accompanied by the "google search taking a full minutes to return results" prompted me to remove Google Fi VPN this morning. Cursory glance shows that it definitely makes the google searches faster. Going to see if it helps my SMS as well.

    Nope didn't fix it, unfortunately. I have meetings set to "remind me 15 minutes before" and I just got a notification 5 minutes before.

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    urahonky wrote: »
    Do you guys recommend a good VPN for your phone? Obviously using Google's kind of defeats the point of a VPN lol.

    No. Honestly, either I'm sending the data to one company or to another one and I'm not sure I trust any of them. So in the end, I'd rather just take the path of least resistance.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • Inquisitor77Inquisitor77 2 x Penny Arcade Fight Club Champion A fixed point in space and timeRegistered User regular
    Blokada. It's not "really" a VPN but I suspect it's what you're looking for.

  • CarpyCarpy Registered User regular
    edited November 2021
    Shadowfire wrote: »
    urahonky wrote: »
    Do you guys recommend a good VPN for your phone? Obviously using Google's kind of defeats the point of a VPN lol.

    No. Honestly, either I'm sending the data to one company or to another one and I'm not sure I trust any of them. So in the end, I'd rather just take the path of least resistance.

    Unless you own the endpoint I wouldn't trust any VPN to not be harvesting.

    Carpy on
  • LD50LD50 Registered User regular
    VPNs are the opposite of privacy.

  • EvermournEvermourn Registered User regular
    I've used a Samsung Galaxy S7 for quite a few years, I really liked the physical size and the excellent camera. I like Android, not interested in Apple (have used one for about 6 months). Can anyone suggest a comparable modern phone? I've done some Googling but nothing beats feedback from this community.

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    Depends on your budget really. The Pixel 6 is getting great reviews so far, the s21 is a good phone as well. No matter what you buy you're going to end up with a larger phone because that's the direction the market's gone over the years.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • Local H JayLocal H Jay Registered User regular
    edited November 2021
    I thought I would hate having a one handed phone but I really enjoyed the 4a, but the battery life is draining at an accelerated rate after about a year of use (but I use my phone a lot)

    Local H Jay on
  • wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    Evermourn wrote: »
    I've used a Samsung Galaxy S7 for quite a few years, I really liked the physical size and the excellent camera. I like Android, not interested in Apple (have used one for about 6 months). Can anyone suggest a comparable modern phone? I've done some Googling but nothing beats feedback from this community.

    It really depends on budget. and if you think the camera on the S7 is great..... pretty much any phone that's not a piece of crap will take pictures that are significantly better.

    But yeah, budget is something important. If you have $400-ish to spend, that's a different recommendation than if you are willing to spend $1000

    XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
  • urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    I have the Pixel 4a (non 5-G) and I really like it. I might be on this phone for a while as I don't use my phone for anything other than surfing reddit and answering emails. I would like a 5G one eventually and that might be the only reason I upgrade in a year or two.

  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    I've got the 4a (5G) and it's good/fine.

    Not a big fan of 12 now, but issues i had in 11 may be more software/site than phone. Like Twitter website constantly leaves off or repeats words in my posts. Not sure if a keyboard or site problem.

  • EvermournEvermourn Registered User regular
    I’d like an S21 but it’s a bit too expensive, can’t get an S20 as they have been out of stock too long, so was thinking maybe an S20 FE 5G. Anyone got one?

  • urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    Evermourn wrote: »
    I’d like an S21 but it’s a bit too expensive, can’t get an S20 as they have been out of stock too long, so was thinking maybe an S20 FE 5G. Anyone got one?

    https://store.google.com/us/product/pixel_5a_5g?hl=en-US The 5a is in stock with 5G. I can't speak with newer Galaxy phones but I stopped buying anything Samsung when they would just stick random shit on your phone that you can't get rid of. At least my Google Pixel came stock with Android and the accompanying apps (gmail, etc). But if money is a concern and $100 is too much to drop then I'm sure the S20 is going to be alright. Spec wise it definitely outclasses the 5a.

  • wunderbarwunderbar What Have I Done? Registered User regular
    Evermourn wrote: »
    I’d like an S21 but it’s a bit too expensive, can’t get an S20 as they have been out of stock too long, so was thinking maybe an S20 FE 5G. Anyone got one?

    If you like the samsung phones, also look at the Samsung A series, I think the A72 is the most recent highest end model of that. it's most of the S21 series with a few compromises and less expensive.

    The S20 FE is a real solid phone. I've played with one and I honestly can't tell the difference between that and an S21 in terms of day to day. My only caveat with the S20 FE is that it's a year old already, so it only has 2 more years of Android updates left (and one additional year of security patches after that)and if you are still rocking an S7 you clearly hold onto your phone for a long time.

    That being said, 2 years of updates and 3 of security patches is still longer than any other OEM except for a new samsung phone and google's phones, so it still may be a solid option.

    XBL: thewunderbar PSN: thewunderbar NNID: thewunderbar Steam: wunderbar87 Twitter: wunderbar
  • shadowaneshadowane Registered User regular
    I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but the weirdest issue I'm having in 12 is that when I pull the drawer down from the top, it seems to always go all the way to the apps part of it instead of the minimized version of that plus notifications. Means I have to push it back up and pull it back down a second time if I want to see my emails and such. I don't know if it's how I pull down the shade or what, but it's annoying.

  • Ear3nd1lEar3nd1l Eärendil the Mariner, father of Elrond Registered User regular
    shadowane wrote: »
    I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but the weirdest issue I'm having in 12 is that when I pull the drawer down from the top, it seems to always go all the way to the apps part of it instead of the minimized version of that plus notifications. Means I have to push it back up and pull it back down a second time if I want to see my emails and such. I don't know if it's how I pull down the shade or what, but it's annoying.

    It does the same thing to me, but only right after I have unlocked it. I've noticed if I pull the shade down a little slower that it works as expected. I was hoping it was just a bug in the beta that would be fixed, but it doesn't look like that's the case.

  • shadowaneshadowane Registered User regular
    Ear3nd1l wrote: »
    shadowane wrote: »
    I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but the weirdest issue I'm having in 12 is that when I pull the drawer down from the top, it seems to always go all the way to the apps part of it instead of the minimized version of that plus notifications. Means I have to push it back up and pull it back down a second time if I want to see my emails and such. I don't know if it's how I pull down the shade or what, but it's annoying.

    It does the same thing to me, but only right after I have unlocked it. I've noticed if I pull the shade down a little slower that it works as expected. I was hoping it was just a bug in the beta that would be fixed, but it doesn't look like that's the case.

    Yes true if I do it slowly it works, but I usually am not thinking about it that much.

  • MugsleyMugsley DelawareRegistered User regular
    Now I have to use adb to bring back the old wifi/cell data toggles. Thanks Android. :rotate:

  • CarpyCarpy Registered User regular
    The bigger lock screen buttons in 12 are really messing with me. So many mistyped passcodes.

  • urahonkyurahonky Registered User regular
    Carpy wrote: »
    The bigger lock screen buttons in 12 are really messing with me. So many mistyped passcodes.

    I have giant fingers so I appreciate it but man I have my old passcode burned into muscle memory.

  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    I only have to use it when I'm masked but yeah, I do get thrown off at times.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
  • BlackDragon480BlackDragon480 Bluster Kerfuffle Master of Windy ImportRegistered User regular
    Phone got swiped over the weekend, so got a non-planned update forced on me. Having been a Sprint customer for over 20 years paid off, as I had a shitton of promotional discounts and an unused update credit still on the books after the T Mobile buyout.

    Wound up getting an S21 Ultra (as in all mine, no 24 month lease or addition to the wireless bill) for $110 plus sales tax (which was over $100). Now to begin the arduous process of making it "mine" and not feel awkward using it.

    No matter where you go...there you are.
    ~ Buckaroo Banzai
  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    edited November 2021
    Well that's pretty good outcome for a shitty situation.

    You removed/disconnected everything you could from the old phone, I assume.

    MichaelLC on
  • BlackDragon480BlackDragon480 Bluster Kerfuffle Master of Windy ImportRegistered User regular
    MichaelLC wrote: »
    Well that's pretty good outcome for a shitty situation.

    You removed/disconnected everything you could from the old phone, I assume.

    Yep. I keep very little on the device outside of pictures and some lossless music and I use 2FA and passphrases before anything would use a credit card or PayPal, and my bank is rated in the top 10 on Forbes' list of most secure online institutions that aren't a huge multinational like Citigroup or Bank of America. Having been a victim of identify theft bout 15 years ago I have cultivated a variety of oh shit handles I can quickly pull to shutdown all but one bank account until I can get all of my passwords/phrases changed and new cards issued.

    Thankfully, the only thing I can say this has cost me was a little bit of stress till I could get to the bank and T Mobile store today, and the inconvenience of updating login credentials and some default payment options on things like utility bills.

    No matter where you go...there you are.
    ~ Buckaroo Banzai
  • DonnictonDonnicton Registered User regular
    Just wanted to say a few weeks into Android 12 and I roundly hate its UI changes. The settings buttons are three times larger than necessary, I don't like how they merged the data and wifi buttons into one button and oh god do I hate how I bring my phone out of sleep to see FOUR GIGANTIC NUMBERS plastered across my screen for the time like it was trying to tell everyone my bank PIN.

  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    Donnicton wrote: »
    Just wanted to say a few weeks into Android 12 and I roundly hate its UI changes.

    I see what you did there.

  • CarpyCarpy Registered User regular
    The absolute waste of space on the short pulldown menu

    3noah54a6xc9.png

  • BlackDragon480BlackDragon480 Bluster Kerfuffle Master of Windy ImportRegistered User regular
    Damn, this is my first experience with a 5G device, and it's neck and neck with my 400+Mbs fiber-to-the-node home connection and the RAM size and speed are incredible. I'm running more things simultaneously with no loss in focus switching speed or performance than my 9+ ever could, even when it was brand new.

    Lack of an SD slot for storage expansion is a little head scratching, but the 256GB on board is 4 times more than any other phone I've owned, so overall I'd consider it a wash.

    No matter where you go...there you are.
    ~ Buckaroo Banzai
  • ShadowfireShadowfire Vermont, in the middle of nowhereRegistered User regular
    Donnicton wrote: »
    Just wanted to say a few weeks into Android 12 and I roundly hate its UI changes. The settings buttons are three times larger than necessary, I don't like how they merged the data and wifi buttons into one button and oh god do I hate how I bring my phone out of sleep to see FOUR GIGANTIC NUMBERS plastered across my screen for the time like it was trying to tell everyone my bank PIN.

    Yikes, you should really change your pin.

    WiiU: Windrunner ; Guild Wars 2: Shadowfire.3940 ; PSN: Bradcopter
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