Smartphone Maker Nothing Retreats on Bloatware After User Backlash (androidauthority.com)
- Reference: 0179975160
- News link: https://mobile.slashdot.org/story/25/11/05/1827248/smartphone-maker-nothing-retreats-on-bloatware-after-user-backlash
- Source link: https://www.androidauthority.com/nothing-phone-3a-bloatware-update-3612682/
Devices in the United Kingdom, European Union and Japan will also come with TikTok installed by default. The company defended the practice by saying most users rely on these apps and that pre-installing them allows faster cold starts. Carl Pei's company blamed razor-thin margins on mid-range devices for the decision to bundle third-party software. Nothing did not address whether users can uninstall the service that powers newly introduced lock screen advertisements, which the company previously described as disabled by default and standard across the industry.
[1] https://www.androidauthority.com/nothing-phone-3a-bloatware-update-3612682/
What are they selling (Score:2)
Are they selling you a phone, or are they selling you and your information to big data ?
NONE of my portable devices have any social media crapware on them.
If I can not access something via a web browser with ad/spay/etc filters that have automatic cookie deletion then I don't use the service.
Advertising on the lockscreen? (Score:3)
I will never buy a NothingPhone now, I would rather pay an extra 25 to 50 dollars for my phone than have to tolerate advertising, and if Google goes through will killing side loading I won't buy any OEM that has this, its looking like my next phone will be a FairPhone,
Where they got their name: (Score:1)
"What's all this extra stuff?"
Vendor: "Nah, nothing."
Re: (Score:2)
My headcanon is that they were named after the features that differentiated their phones from every other Android phone currently in the marketplace.
If you want something that's not an Android phone, you buy an iPhone. All hail the great smartphone duopoly!
And... (Score:2)
Nothing of value was lost (for shareholders, at least).
Nothing should be pre installed (Score:4, Interesting)
Every single phone, when started for the first time, should be spanking clean, with any additional software selected through the setup wizard on first power on cycle.
Re: (Score:2)
> Every single phone, when started for the first time, should be spanking clean, with any additional software selected through the setup wizard on first power on cycle.
I'm not familiar with the iPhone setup, but that is simply not realistic with Android systems. Android devices come with a number of apps providing core functionality, Samsung Android devices come with an additional set of apps providing alternatives to the ones Google supply (and some of them are actually better).
I find it annoying that I can't delete apps from either set, apps which I don't need, don't want, and only notice when Play Store updates them every few days. At least crap like Facebook, Instag
Re: Nothing should be pre installed (Score:2)
I call them Shitsungs and don't understand why would anyone agree to that level of bloatware.
Re: (Score:2)
iPhones come with various apps from Apple that are advertised as part of the OS and people expect to be there.
If all they came with was the "Settings" app and the "App Store" app to download everything else, people would riot.
Re: (Score:2)
Riot? Nah, they are good consumer sheep. Just look at the abuse Microsoft has put society through for the past 30 years and yet they are still here.
Re: (Score:2)
Oh fuck that. Setting up a new phone is a pain in the ass as it is. The last thing I want to do before using it is download a bunch of apps that I expect to come with the OS.
Re: Nothing should be pre installed (Score:2)
What's the drama about? You could have an easy mode and an expert mode?
Re: (Score:2)
I feel the same way about laptops, but good luck with that. My last laptop purchase was a Dell. Between Windows 11 and Dell pre-installs, it literally used half the hardware RAM idling. I slapped Xubuntu on it, and that idles about 1.1 or 1.2gb ram. I'm pretty sure the other 7 gigs of ram was programs just spying on me and sending out my PII to Dell, Microsoft and probably some other folks as well. No thanks.
Don't even get me started on the other bullshit that was loaded in. Of course, Firefox wasn't pre-lo
Android phones. (Score:2)
Since we're all bitching about various phones and whatnot...
Question to the herd.
I'm running a OnePlus 7T Pro phone. Still works great. Stuck on Android 12. Should I go the LineageOS route for 13 or 14, or get a new phone? And which phone as long as it's not iPhone or Samsung. My past experiences over three phone versions of Samsung have put me off their phones for life, unless proven otherwise.
Money (Score:2)
I think that for every $1 received for by a manufacturer or carrier for installing an app on a phone, the customer should receive 50 cents. Split it right down the middle.
Re: (Score:2)
But you just got done posting that setting up a new smartphone is already a pain in the ass and the last think you want to do is download a bunch of apps. So what do you really want? Freedom to choose your own apps or a small discount off the phone?
Remember when (Score:2)
Remember when you had to go get Internet Explorer/Netscape CDs from computer places to install it? Used to come on AOL CDs, so Id just grab one of those and install it.
The days when a device was delivered as just a device were divine.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
> Devices in the United Kingdom, European Union and Japan will also come with TikTok installed by default. The company defended the practice by saying most users rely on these apps and that pre-installing them allows faster cold starts.
100% Bullshit. They get paid to pre-install these apps. That is the **ONLY** reason they are doing it.
Re: (Score:2)
> blamed razor-thin margins on mid-range devices for the decision to bundle third-party software.
I mean they are kinda saying as such and I kinda feel them, you can't leverage like Apple Google or Samsung but maybe if they just straight up said "hey its pre-installed apps or it costs $50 more" and let the customer decide.
Personally I wouldn't buy one of their phones anyway but I do have their Ear(a) earbuds and they are quite nice.
Re:Remember when (Score:4, Funny)
I remember Nothing.
Re: (Score:1)
Yep. A lot of folks here pobly 'member AOL used to send 3.5's that we'd cover over the hole with tape and use them to save high school term papers on. Until reliability become a problem with lost homework due to corrupt files, people started emailing things to ourselves to be able to access them at home and at school before the cloud was a thing.
Re: (Score:2)
Android pre installs that Google Chrome malware.
The first thing I do on a new phone is install Firefox.
Re: (Score:2)
I bought my Mac IIci with no hard drive. Had to install the OS on one via floppy disc.
Oh yes, those were the days. Especially when I had to install the X11 system for A/UX. I think that was 80 discs. Just nuts. If you were lucky, it installed on the first try.
I was never that lucky.