It's almost 2016, I can't wait for Google/Android to stop being awful

[Michael Goff]

Agree with you mostly except music cause I do not have a lot of experience with that

My personal wish list
1) An everywhere dictionary like iOS. In fact, do one better, include pronunciations
2) An optimised browser that is as smooth as Safari on iOS
3) An optimised music player with consistent lock screen controls that can play music stored locally on the phone. It should also be a beautiful app - I am shallow that way
4) No skinning. All OEMs goodies should be packaged as apps
5) Introduce minimum hardware requirements for OEMs (like Microsoft)

Points 3 and 4: so that the platform at least has a semblance of consistency. Android has achieved its purpose...world domination. Now it can call the shots IMO

2016 is the year Google

Points two and three are more likely to be done by Samsung than Google proper.

 

[weatherwax]

Maybe it's just been awhile - is Safari on iOS all that great? I switched to Chrome long before I switched to Android and haven't really missed Safari.

The music player is pretty key though. Absurd how many times it doesn't work as intended. Google play also eats up battery for me way more than Spotify does.

 

[AustinIllini]

Points two and three are more likely to be done by Samsung than Google proper.

Two is already done on Nexus devices. It's really not that complicated. Chrome on android is great.

 

[Michael Goff]

Two is already done on Nexus devices. It's really not that complicated. Chrome on android is great.

Yeah, it's great. Imagine, though, if it could be fully optimized to take advantage of everything the hardware offers. Samsung could optimize a browser to their SoC. Google has to make a great browser that works on Intel, Qualcomm, and MediaTek.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Yeah, it's great. Imagine, though, if it could be fully optimized to take advantage of everything the hardware offers. Samsung could optimize a browser to their SoC. Google has to make a great browser that works on Intel, Qualcomm, and MediaTek.

Chrome on nexus devices is good. On Samsung devices it's Rubbish. The stock browser is a lot better.

 

[MRU]

Chrome on nexus devices is good. On Samsung devices it's Rubbish. The stock browser is a lot better.

On Samsung devices you are supposed to install the optional Samsung Chrome app extension to improve performance. 99.5% are unaware it exists however.

 

[Shanghaichica]

On Samsung devices you are supposed to install the optional Samsung Chrome app extension to improve performance. 99.5% are unaware it exists however.

I did install it but I think I'd already biased myself against chrome that I carried on using the stock browser so didn't see the benefits

 

[Frankied22]

How is Chrome on android good? On my 5X it's slow to load and I can't have an ad blocker.

 

[nj1266]

Why doesn't Chrome allow ad blockers?

 

[AustinIllini]

Why doesn't Chrome allow ad blockers?

Probably because ads are Google's business model.

It's the same way Siri will never be as good as long as Apple "doesn't" data mine.

 

[nj1266]

Probably because ads are Google's business model.

It's the same way Siri will never be as good as long as Apple "doesn't" data mine.

But don't ads slow down devices (especially older ones) and ruin user experience?

Siri does something for me that no Android phone can do: it can navigate to an address from my contacts using voice commands while I am driving in my car. I can even command Siri to navigate to an address in my contacts using Google Maps.

 

[HiDEF]

On Samsung devices you are supposed to install the optional Samsung Chrome app extension to improve performance. 99.5% are unaware it exists however.

Can you provide a link to this extension? Tried Google searching but I don't think I found the correct one.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Michael Goff]

Can you provide a link to this extension? Tried Google searching but I don't think I found the correct one.

Thank you in advance!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chrome.deviceextras.samsung

 

[Blaze4G]

But don't ads slow down devices (especially older ones) and ruin user experience?

Siri does something for me that no Android phone can do: it can navigate to an address from my contacts using voice commands while I am driving in my car. I can even command Siri to navigate to an address in my contacts using Google Maps.

Google doesn't force you to use Chrome, not sure if you knew that. There are others browsers on Android that has ad blocker.

Google Now does tons of things that no iPhone can do...

 

[nj1266]

Google doesn't force you to use Chrome, not sure if you knew that. There are others browsers on Android that has ad blocker.

Google Now does tons of things that no iPhone can do...

You are correct, I never said that Google does force you. All I said that it affects the user experience, which it does.

You are correct about Google now too. But one thing it does not do is have voice commands that navigate to an address from my contacts app. Obviously, that is not an issue you care about, but I do since the iPhone is the only nav that I have and I need to use it hands free. An added bonus is that I can use Google maps semi-hands free as well.

 

[Jinzen]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chrome.deviceextras.samsung

That's installed by default on Samsung devices.

 

[Mr D]

Google doesn't force you to use Chrome, not sure if you knew that. There are others browsers on Android that has ad blocker.

Google Now does tons of things that no iPhone can do...

I use Google Now on the iPhone.

 

[Michael Goff]

That's installed by default on Samsung devices.

That wasn't installed by default on my S6.

 

[AustinIllini]

I use Google Now on the iPhone.

Google Now is a lot better on Nexus, though.

 

[MRU]

That's installed by default on Samsung devices.

No it isn't.

 

[Blaze4G]

I use Google Now on the iPhone.

Yeah a very limited Google Now that does a 1/4 of what Google Now does on Android.

 

[HiDEF]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chrome.deviceextras.samsung

When I click on the link I get "item not found. Retry."

 

[AustinIllini]

Yeah a very limited Google Now that does a 1/4 of what Google Now does on Android.

Seriously. Google Now is the command center of android productivity. On iPhone it's the center of your Google apps you can't set as default.

 

[MRU]

When I click on the link I get "item not found. Retry."

Just search through Google's own apps on the play store. You should be able to find it if your using a Samsung device.

Seriously. Google Now is the command center of android productivity. On iPhone it's the center of your Google apps you can't set as default.

The "command centre of android productivity" ? Ok a little bit over melodramatic

Google Now offers me the weather and a basic assortment of links to read. That's as much as it helps in my productivity. For you it may prove essential but for me and I doubt I'm alone it's just occasionally 'useful'. A very nice feature to have access to, but hardly 'the command centre of productivity on Android'. That's like saying 'Siri is the Mary Poppins of iOS, whereas Google Now is the Martha Stewart'. It's a good soundbite, but means little.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Just search through Google's own apps on the play store. You should be able to find it if your using a Samsung device.



The "command centre of android productivity" ? Ok a little bit over melodramatic

Google Now offers me the weather and a basic assortment of links to read. That's as much as it helps in my productivity. For you it may prove essential but for me and I doubt I'm alone it's just occasionally 'useful'. A very nice feature to have access to, but hardly 'the command centre of productivity on Android'. That's like saying 'Siri is the Mary Poppins of iOS, whereas Google Now is the Martha Stewart'. It's a good soundbite, but means little.

I was so excited to get Google now as I really thought it would be the nucleus of my device lol but when the jellybean update finally came I was disappointed. It told me the weather, the distance from work and my football teams score. That was it. I always wonder if it was more useful for people in the US.