I do and I kind of don't miss it. It was fun back then, especially if you were in the custom rom scene and had acess to new versions every other week. Now though I just need my stuff to work. An update suddenly overhauling everything and breaking more things than it improves legitimately scares me nowadays. For reference, I had a Pixel a few years ago that launched on Android 11 and it was amazing. I saw Android 12 announced and was so excited for it, but after the update my phone became a shell of its former self. Worse battery, worse performance, just janky all around. It wasn't until Android 13 a year later that finally brought it back to how it felt on Android 11 but that was an entire year of a lackluster experience and bugs. I don't need that in my life and work now 😞
And then your phone's performance halves because there's dozen more features and massive UI improvements. 😅😂 Dang the year per year Chip and performance upgrades before were huge.
@@RohinNair that's exactly how I felt with OxygenOS 12 based on Android 12... thankfully I wasn't stuck with v12 for a whole year 😅 OxygenOS 13 fixed everything
11 to 12 was a big overhaul also, but I agree. Nothing beats the changes that android lollipop brought, back in 2014. Shit, it's been 10 years! Time flies
I would say degoogling and privacy respecting rom is more than good enough reason. "Saying privacy does not matter cause I have nothing to hide is like saying freedom of speech does not matter cause I have nothing to say"
Uhm, you still got nothing close to full tasker functionality on stock rom. Also, most stock roms can't be customized as much as most custom roms can be (not as important as tasker but important nonetheless). They have some semblance of Tasker in stock now but it's like 5% of the functionality. Tasker can be hacked to work as if it has root via adb but it's cumbersome and unreliable. Anyways, it's ok if you never needed to take full advantage of root but don't falsely claim stock brings you everything rooting or custom roms do. I just went from stock to paranoid android in my current phone after trying to do the locked bootloader and stock way of doing things for months. You can do a lot now but stock is still severely hamstrung by Google. It's not even close to the same.
Companies have realized that the 7 years of software update promise might not be as easy to implement as they realized. By fragmenting software features away from otherwise normal OS updates and making them "hardware" exclusive, they can bring minimal improvements and software reskins to these devices and as long as the version counter goes up, the manufacturers will have fulfilled their promise.
That's fine honestly. As long as we still get the maintenance patches and the general updates to quality, that's still better than abandoning the device after just 3 years
Still have that on my Galaxy E5 . My A10 is 11th max, so I love switching between ( but e5 is only basic photo/music device, it lags super hard , costs same as today's Tecno Spark 20pro+ or redmi 12 pro. ) Devices scale fast. Same price of my A10 you can get better specs from sammy themself ( A05 )
@@wombat7961 it still is!! you theyre just more like codenames now. you cant really find them by looking in the os itself but its in the code. i cant remember them all but android 14 is upside-down cake and android 15 is vanilla ice cream.
lollipop was like a paradigm shift i remember when all i want was to see my phone on android 5 lollipop i went on to root and install custom ROM i was using one Samsung pocket android,i can't remember the name. soo nostalgic
The dessert names are technically not dropped, they just don't say them in the brand's name anymore. If I remember correctly, Android 15 is vanilla ice cream.
Not too many people know about QuickShare because the people who actually use it already assume that its just common knowledge at this point. Some like me, used to just use apps for transferring files, heck even messenger works if you just compress the file first, I imagine most Android users that doesn't know of this feature just does it the same way they've always done it and doesn't make a "big" deal out of it, it's just a way to share files anyway :)
Stop caring? I just stopped noticing after Android 12 since both my daily and all the old ones in my collection stopped getting OS updates 1-2 years ago. Future versions of Android will be useful to optimize functionality as more flagships transition to flips, foldables, & expandables. A "universal desktop mode" that actually runs ARM64 apps & games native to Windows, Mac, and Linux would be really nice too.
Or yesteryear's Pixel A-series. Fairphone is the gold standard though if you want a device ecosystem like Google but Fairtrade, sustainably sourced, certified ecosocially conscious, and ultra repairable/modular.
I feel the same. I remember when I bricked my Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini almost every week to get the latest version of Android or another ROM with a different feature set. Today, I don't care if CalyxOS is still on Android 14. I much prefer a stable experience, even if it would take another year for them to upgrade to 15.
So true. Only reason I went with pixel phones were because of fast and latest updates. I stayed for the picture quality and the simplicity of it finally. Would love to go with another brand though but then only phone that interested me was a Chinese phone.
I realized that after seeing one plus take on cyanogen I list interest in vanilla android, Niagara Launcher became my default. Pro version is best though
Someone on r/Android recently said Android has become a lot like the Linux Kernel, where it's just barebones basic things? API changes, drivers, etc. Whereas it's the OEM derivatives where the real features come. Like with a Linux distro. Especially with features coming with Google Services instead of Android updates.
@@slimysomething Indeed, but the comparison is to illustrate the now barebones essential position of the AOSP project compared to a fully fledged Android OS like OneUI or the Pixel Experience.
@@itsAlzatron 1. Which year are you in, 2017~18? Face unlock has been pretty much dependable from 2020 onwards I'd say and with the Pixel 8 series, Google made the face unlock just as secure as the iPhone implementation, so that even banking applications have started using it as a way to authenticate. 2. Face unlock as a whole is a convenience feature, not secure at all. Someone who looks like you, maybe your sibling, father, mother, evil twin could pretty easily bypass iPhone's supposedly secure face unlock. Compare that to the fingerprint, which is unique to 1 in 64 billion or something. A proper ultrasonic fingerprint reader is super secure, reliable, and convenient than whatever face unlock nonsense Apple throws at you.
Android version aside, the software update that exited me the most in the past was when HTC released Sense 5. It's soo clean while still being soo feature packed compared to Sense 4.+ or vanilla android in that time.
the main thing i noticed with android 15 is huge uplift in efficiency. easily hit 10+ hours on one charge. i actually do believe that there are little to no way to drastically improve the experience. nowadays companies have to artificially force you to upgrade and lock certain useful features under never models, even if older ones are just as capable.
Instead of relying on major software updates that happen infrequently, Google has shifted its focus to smaller, more frequent updates called "Feature Drops" (or now, "Pixel Drops"). These quarterly updates provide users with a continuous stream of new features and improvements, keeping the excitement and anticipation high. This approach contrasts with the traditional model of large, infrequent updates, such as those used by iOS, which can sometimes feel stagnant in between releases. By delivering smaller updates more often, Google aims to create a more engaging and dynamic user experience.
Jelly Bean's Project Butter making the GNex and other modern Androids at that time run nice and smooth was a game changer for me. Especially coming from the iPhone which felt soo much better before then
I remember phones offering RAW photos before Google made it official on the nexus phones. So, brands are always ahead of google implementing new features to android, so much that at this point it doesn't matter if you have or not have the last version. For example Huawei pura 70 ultra is running android 12 at its core and no reviewer has miss any feature (aside google apps)
Tbh the main thing I want from updates is for the OS to be more lightweight, for the battery gains as well as lessened processing power+ram requirements
Huawei's "circle to screenshot" + Google Lens comes pretty close despite the 2-step process. Wouldn't be surprised if Google begins merging features between the default camera app, Photos, Lens, Assistant Search, and Snapseed at some point.
Honestly, when Apple introduced AirPlay, I thought we were on the verge of a future where I wouldn’t need a desktop or laptop anymore. I imagined a world where my phone could do it all-where I could simply walk up to my desk and a wireless mouse, keyboard, and display would connect automatically, allowing me to handle everything from my phone just like on a computer. I’m still holding out hope for that future.
@YISTECH It's the closest we have to that. And you can really do anything on android, so yeah... I'm trying to get sth like that for myself if I can't get a pc.
I agree that lollipop was hands down the biggest update. It changed the entire look and feel of android (I think for the better). I am not bothered by the smaller updates now though and I see that as a sign of a mature operating system. Android doesn't really need a major visual overhaul right now, it looks terrific and is fairly streamlined as is and a lot of the features most of the people are interested in right now can come to people in apps
People shouldn't forget that those "big" updates weren't necessary the best versions to use. 4.0 ICS was a major update, but 4.1-4.3 and 4.4 really rounded it out. 5.0 was massive, but it took IMO till 7.1 to really perfect the concept. After that, it took till 11 again to complete the stuff from 8.0 and 9.0. 12 was once again a bit of a mess.
@@Hitesh001100it's only for apps targeting sdk 35, we won't probably see all apps implement it until Google play store increase their minimum sdk target level to 35, which is probably in 2-3 years
@@Hitesh001100it's only for apps targeting sdk 35, we won't probably see all apps implement this now until Google increase their minimum target sdk to 35, which is 2-3 android version from 15, but knowing google they will probably screw this up too and not implement it in their own apps
@@yumni45 lol that's google alright! Although, they already added an API for apps to opt out of the edge to edge mandate! So, we probably will be seeing only a bunch of apps maybe!
Ooooof. Cannot agree on the excitement for lollipop. (5.1 was when we started cooking with gas.) Made my nexus 6 a nightmare. Kit Kat was my fav in terms of fluidity and 12 is my favorite visually.
@@queeniegreengrass3513 on pixel? Massively. 12 looked the best it ever did, but in terms of functionality? A LOT of things were broken but I feel like that was less the OS and more the 6 pro.13 cleaned most of it up but 14 got it to where it should've been in the first place.
Biggest change in my opinion was from Android 4.4 Kitkat to Android 5.0 Lollipop, next to this is was from Android 2.3 Gingerbread to 3.x for Tablets and 4.0 Icecream Sandwich for phones.
Yes yes yes! Exactly what I have been thinking watching all the UA-camrs making videos about Android 15....like it's some huge update. It's not. Just like we have seen any innovation in smartphones over the past years. Just little improvements.
The 5.0 update was so good that even my shitty local brand phone running on Jellybean, I had to flash a KitKat rom with a bootleg design copy of Lollipop lmao.
Modern OS updates make less of a difference because early Android was rough as hell. Now it's being bloated with features that would have been individual apps for download in the app store in the past( the way I liked it). I believe security updates are way more important given the sensitive data residing on more modern smartphones and to that end should be mandated by law for up to 5yrs. In Google's case they need a better Soc before they need more OS updates.
The best new idea for me would be to make 'Digital Wellbeing' easy to uninstall! Refusing all permissions and stopping it doesn't stop it starting up in the background sneakily at random and you dont know until you check 'running apps'. If notifications are turned off and you clear the cache and data notifications turn back on and have to be stopped again. Useless and not wanted and where is our choice not to have it?
Based on my experience, im a samsung user and i recently changed into xiaomi phones. I was really amazed and surprised with many features of their android OS. It was a 4-year old xiaomi phone but i constantly update it from Mui13, 14, 15 up to xiaomi hyperOS. Very amazing indeed!
Back then updates were like getting a new phone, i think that's why we were so excited for it. Nowadays it just feels like a .01 update with small features. Not a bad thing but not as exciting
I have the same feeling I'm rocking my Samsung note 10+ with android 12 and I don't feel I'm missing out on too much it's full of features and customization to the point where flashing custom rom would be loss of features I'm happy with it , although there's minor details in other OS's that I prefer more than one ui like selecting text from recent apps in pixel and ai features in photos and the big clock on the lock screen but it's just small things compared to the many features in one ui , it's now up to people taste in the ui aesthetics and the minor useful features for everyone to choose from
I agree completely. I used to even get excited to see what the next version would be called. The changes to your phone would usually be quite something along with the new features. I loved HTCs version of Android and the animations etc. Was sorry to see them go. Samsung always produced a good version too. My last Samsung was an S7 but I've used a couple of the A range and they're great value. I'm currently using a Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel watch and Google made them old tech pretty quickly by releasing the 8 and 9 phones and watch 2. Wasn't happy about that. But at least I've got Android 15 which is as you say underwhelming. Thanks for the video. I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling lacklustre about Android. Yes it's a great os but we need excitement back.
Going from holo design to material was the biggest update I ever saw in android, and it was in the golden era of rooting and customisation and us XDA devs had a blast those couple of years. Good old days!
Maaan android 5.0 Lolipop released 10 years ago 😢 I recall it changed UI drastically, gave a brand new device feel right away. Actually android 5 was the first android to implement Material Design. Loved that time
I really need an "undo" on Android, and that's absolutely an OS thing
День тому
Often people confuse "big update" with design overhauls. But more important than that, are foundation updates or updates that change the way you use your device. And Andoid 5 was both, while still slaped with a redesign on top of it !
Completely agree with most everything said. I am also using a OnePlus 12, looking forward to the 13, and a Pixel 9 Pro. I recently picked up a Motorola Razer+ 2024, and comments where mainly about how it takes Motorola forever to update Android to the latest greatest OS. To be honest, I like the Motorola Skin on Android 14 and could careless when they update to 15 on that device. It gets great battery life on the Snapdragon 8s processor, and with the 165hz screen and the 12 gigs of memory, feels snappy. I do not see any advantage in upgrading to 15 on that device so whenever it comes, it comes. I also agree that it has been a long time since we have seen anything that wowed us from Android, although the quality of life upgrades over the years have been nice, nothing like in the past. Like when Material U dropped so many years ago. I always appreciate your honest take on things.
Android 5 had slowed down my Nexus 7 (2013) significantly. It was superbly fluid on Kitkat. It took several versions of minor updates to fix the bugginess. By then I was already flashing custom roms and it became just an experimental device. Its still sitting inside my drawer at home somewhere. I don't think I ever experienced the smoothness of 4.4.4. Maybe its because we got too powerful devices and the software was sufficiently refined. But the smoothness was palpable when we jumped from Ice Cream Sandwich to Kitkat.
I think going from touch whiz (Android 8) to one Ui (Android 9) on my note 9 was the most insane update I have ever experienced. That was almost 6 years ago now.
*I will always be grateful for Android and Google for making everything simple and accessible and I wish them all the best in their continuous journey of doing the same* 💚
Yes those earlier versions had room for improvements, so improved they have gotten. The last number Android I really enjoyed when it was released was Android 11, I just remember having it on my OnePlus device it was just awesome, smooth and I really liked the layout.
The Marshmallow update was the one for me. Being able to move apps to the MicroSD card of my HTC One M8 was worth trying to pull down the OTA from a wifi hotspot at the camp ground I was staying at when it dropped…and worth accidentally deleting half the music I had on the MicroSD card 😅
Funny thing is some developers have to put Samsung-specific fixes to make their apps work. So as long as you use something that is not so heavily modified your apps should run fine, because they're usually tested against Pixel phones.
Android 14 removing persistent notifications was a devastating change for me. I struggle to comprehend the reasoning behind that decision from the Google heads. Currently in route back to Apple's far superior ecosystem and software experience.
Still reminiscing over late 2017 news of fuschia being the next step up from Android. While the project is still active on GHub, I believe it just became a test-bed for google to experiment UI for handheld or home devices instead of being the next 4.4 -> 5.0 Lollipop jump for mobile devices.
I remember getting Android 9 pie for the first time. I believe that was also when Samsung first launched one UI. That update felt big. Not so much since then.
Android 5 (Major overhaul) Android 7 and 11 (snappy fast and reliable) Android 14 (12 was a major overhaul but refinement reached in 14 with most ui's reaching peak smoothness)
KitKat to Lollipop was an iconic era. Back when Android was more open and updates were rare, I'd flash a ton of Lollipop-themed ROMs every week or so and use Titanium Backup for migrating, which never received a UI revamp to this day. It was also a time when there was more competition not just with OEMs (RIP HTC, LG) but also platforms (Windows Phone, FirefoxOS, Blackberry. Heck even Cyanogen threatened to replace Google Play). Nowadays we're stuck with locked bootloaders and the choice of Google or Apple, unless antitrust forces them to break up. I will not miss having to wait a year for official updates though... or often not having updates at all. God knows how much ewaste the old update system produced.
And I couldn't agree more with the Video Title... and I agree 5.0 was the complete overhaul. However, little good asthetic UI changes were continued untill 9.0. After that Its all crap so much so that I stopped waiting for new versions. Thanks for addressing the right subject.
2:34 On my Ipad I would really benefit from this feature, I often multitask with certain apps and my writing app. The shortcut app at least offers a solution, but this would've been much easier.
It's now really other OEMs making their own skins more worthy upgrades. Like the upcoming one UI 7 looks like a significant change form one UI 6. It really does matter what phone you choose to buy now
You wont feel it much but under the hood there are changes like with Android 15 you can now save passkeys on 3rd party password manager or both password manager
I was still partly excited about Android 15 on my Pixel 8. Primarily because it seemed like it might improve battery life and I gotta say so far its snappier for the most part and the standby battery life is WAY better. General battery life is also better. Normally I play Duel Links and on the Pixel 8 (A14) it felt like my battery died so fast for a simple game. I played for a whole hour yesterday and I lost like 3% total where as before it would be like 8% or something close to that. Also I only use my phones on max brightness so honestly kind of impressed.
My use barely scratch the surface of what's available but they keep on adding features. I just switched from a Pixel 6a to a S22+ and there's a huge learning curve of Samsung specific features. Maybe AI will get good enough, users won't need to learn how to do things on their phones, but rather just tell their phone's virtual assistant what they want.
used a note 10 for a year from 2022 to 2023. A 5 years old phone with android 12. Switched to Xiaomi 11T with android 14, didn't feel i missed anything if i were to come back to note 10
Having used custom ROMs for years, I'm excited to try out OneUI for the first time in hopes of getting similar customization and updates with less bugs and SafetyNet battles.
Android already had apps available to older versions like run on 5y old OS version. Then google added play system module using project treble which added many features available directly through google updates, not conflicting OEM updates. Now many of the features are coming to android with play services and play services system updates.
Pro tip: Apple feature doesn't need to be used daily to be groundbreaking or so useful that you can't go without it. App pairs is something like the s-pen, it's not something I use every day of even weekly but when it's needed for me it's sorely needed
My most wanted feather is, wirelessly connect my phone to a monitor/keyboard/mouse and have Stevie fully featured windows running in it! Just like Dex.
I’m using a 6 year old realme with android 11 and I’m seriously facing 0 issues in my daily usage . It’s also perfectly fast and snappy because the software didn’t update beyond 11
lollipop was like a paradigm shift i remember when all i want was to see my phone on android 5 lollipop i went on to root and install custom ROM i was using one Samsung pocket android,i can't remember the name. soo nostalgic
Damn Thomas was on a roll on his own channel and AP at the same time, guess he finally know the play of both side😂anyway, android 15 while may felt like just another os that isn't needed, I still hope Google bring some Android 12L like multitasking features and see if Samsung OneUI 7 bringing massive shift as well
This is actually a very good point because Android has matured so much that you can't get upset same thing with Apple it's mature so much it's kind of plateaued
Well, Apple iOS never felt like they upgraded until just recently with the iOS 18.1 which feels more like iOS 3 or 4 if we're talking about huge updates imo.
Who remembers when updates used to basically change your phone
I do and I kind of don't miss it. It was fun back then, especially if you were in the custom rom scene and had acess to new versions every other week. Now though I just need my stuff to work. An update suddenly overhauling everything and breaking more things than it improves legitimately scares me nowadays.
For reference, I had a Pixel a few years ago that launched on Android 11 and it was amazing. I saw Android 12 announced and was so excited for it, but after the update my phone became a shell of its former self. Worse battery, worse performance, just janky all around. It wasn't until Android 13 a year later that finally brought it back to how it felt on Android 11 but that was an entire year of a lackluster experience and bugs. I don't need that in my life and work now 😞
And then your phone's performance halves because there's dozen more features and massive UI improvements. 😅😂
Dang the year per year Chip and performance upgrades before were huge.
Samsung still does it
Yeah, new features kept coming.
Now we have all the necessary features, it's time for some AI stuffs and other QoL type
@@RohinNair that's exactly how I felt with OxygenOS 12 based on Android 12... thankfully I wasn't stuck with v12 for a whole year 😅 OxygenOS 13 fixed everything
Android 4.4 to Android 5 was the bigest update ever seen
Next to that was Android 2.3 to android 4.0
11 to 12 was a big overhaul also, but I agree. Nothing beats the changes that android lollipop brought, back in 2014. Shit, it's been 10 years! Time flies
android 12 was dogshit while android 9-10-11 were the very best, with android 9 being the goat, you can also make the argument 11 is too
My first android phone was on android lollipop. The LG lancet for Android
Yeah for me android 11 was peak android yes 9 was perfect too@akilbarboni4198
Android is indeed mature now, several years ago I was so into rooting and flashing custom roms but I don't see much benefits of doing it now.
Unless it is receiving any software updates
I would say degoogling and privacy respecting rom is more than good enough reason. "Saying privacy does not matter cause I have nothing to hide is like saying freedom of speech does not matter cause I have nothing to say"
Uhm, you still got nothing close to full tasker functionality on stock rom. Also, most stock roms can't be customized as much as most custom roms can be (not as important as tasker but important nonetheless). They have some semblance of Tasker in stock now but it's like 5% of the functionality. Tasker can be hacked to work as if it has root via adb but it's cumbersome and unreliable. Anyways, it's ok if you never needed to take full advantage of root but don't falsely claim stock brings you everything rooting or custom roms do. I just went from stock to paranoid android in my current phone after trying to do the locked bootloader and stock way of doing things for months. You can do a lot now but stock is still severely hamstrung by Google. It's not even close to the same.
A lot are getting butthurt with what I said. No one stops you from rooting and flashing your roms. I'm stating my usecase here not yours.
Unless you're on a low to mid end device, in which case custom roms can still be very beneficial.
Companies have realized that the 7 years of software update promise might not be as easy to implement as they realized. By fragmenting software features away from otherwise normal OS updates and making them "hardware" exclusive, they can bring minimal improvements and software reskins to these devices and as long as the version counter goes up, the manufacturers will have fulfilled their promise.
I... I never thought about it that way...
That's fine honestly. As long as we still get the maintenance patches and the general updates to quality, that's still better than abandoning the device after just 3 years
Or maybe it's just about maturity of the software, they chose what they want to be and stuck with it
@@joshuaprecious i feel its both
Or the software is mature enough and modular to the point where you don't need OS updates to deliver major features, just a few APKs.
Lollipop was a complete change in ui design. I remember being excited about it. Good old days.
Back when it was a buffet of desserts
Still have that on my Galaxy E5 . My A10 is 11th max, so I love switching between ( but e5 is only basic photo/music device, it lags super hard , costs same as today's Tecno Spark 20pro+ or redmi 12 pro. )
Devices scale fast. Same price of my A10 you can get better specs from sammy themself ( A05 )
@@wombat7961 After Pie it came 10 :< , Noughats , Oreo.. Oh I'm hungry
@@wombat7961 it still is!! you theyre just more like codenames now. you cant really find them by looking in the os itself but its in the code. i cant remember them all but android 14 is upside-down cake and android 15 is vanilla ice cream.
lollipop was like a paradigm shift
i remember when all i want was to see my phone on android 5 lollipop i went on to root and install custom ROM i was using one Samsung pocket android,i can't remember the name.
soo nostalgic
I'm sad they dropped dessert names
The dessert names are technically not dropped, they just don't say them in the brand's name anymore. If I remember correctly, Android 15 is vanilla ice cream.
@@TrentonMatthewsoh good.
At 7:00 you talked about a "Google version of AirDrop". Isn't that QuickShare that's currently available on Android and Windows?
Right
Scrolling to find this comment.
Guess not everyone knows QuickShare
I was going to add exactly the same comment. Plus it works very well !
Not too many people know about QuickShare because the people who actually use it already assume that its just common knowledge at this point. Some like me, used to just use apps for transferring files, heck even messenger works if you just compress the file first, I imagine most Android users that doesn't know of this feature just does it the same way they've always done it and doesn't make a "big" deal out of it, it's just a way to share files anyway :)
I stopped caring after A10
Lies
Stop caring? I just stopped noticing after Android 12 since both my daily and all the old ones in my collection stopped getting OS updates 1-2 years ago.
Future versions of Android will be useful to optimize functionality as more flagships transition to flips, foldables, & expandables. A "universal desktop mode" that actually runs ARM64 apps & games native to Windows, Mac, and Linux would be really nice too.
android 11 and goes on doesn't add much, i remembered android 9 to 10 was good bcos i get a nav gesture lmao
"KitKat to pie" the best android updates periods
Dark mode rocks
We are now in the golden age. All you have to do is get a samsung galaxy and you are completely set
Or yesteryear's Pixel A-series.
Fairphone is the gold standard though if you want a device ecosystem like Google but Fairtrade, sustainably sourced, certified ecosocially conscious, and ultra repairable/modular.
All those updates yet add basically changes nothing at all 🫡
get an iphone and you will never have to worry about the software
Nobody wants those laggy animations😂
@@handlemoniumThing is the Fairphone isn't perfect and have a lot of shortcomings
Yea but you don't need to change for the sake of change
Yea i really like my pixel i don't really need a massive ui change
Well said
"If it's not broken, don't try to fix it"
That goes for phones too. Most have little to no functional difference
yea, but how safe is it to use a phone that doesnt get sec updates anymore?
I feel the same. I remember when I bricked my Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini almost every week to get the latest version of Android or another ROM with a different feature set.
Today, I don't care if CalyxOS is still on Android 14. I much prefer a stable experience, even if it would take another year for them to upgrade to 15.
So true. Only reason I went with pixel phones were because of fast and latest updates. I stayed for the picture quality and the simplicity of it finally. Would love to go with another brand though but then only phone that interested me was a Chinese phone.
Im going to iphone if google don't increase hardware stability
I miss the Google now launcher.
True. I miss having that Google Now news feed in the left hand size home page. Now I have to open the "Google" app for that.
@@ex0stasis72we still have that in India.
Me too
I realized that after seeing one plus take on cyanogen I list interest in vanilla android, Niagara Launcher became my default. Pro version is best though
@@ex0stasis72huh? my samsung still has a google news feed on the left
Someone on r/Android recently said Android has become a lot like the Linux Kernel, where it's just barebones basic things? API changes, drivers, etc. Whereas it's the OEM derivatives where the real features come. Like with a Linux distro. Especially with features coming with Google Services instead of Android updates.
terrible comparison honestly. Android OEMs are more like petty fiefdoms than freely shared distros.
@@slimysomething Indeed, but the comparison is to illustrate the now barebones essential position of the AOSP project compared to a fully fledged Android OS like OneUI or the Pixel Experience.
Android introduced features early on and improved it steadily. iOS didn't give you basic features till iOS 18.
Some features don't even need an entire OS update to be added.
Let us know when face unlock on Android is secure enough to not be bypassed with a printed photo then we'll talk about basic features..
bro this aint 2013 face unlock @@itsAlzatron, newer android phones have much better face unlock security
@@itsAlzatronhappened in 2018. Check the Pixel 4xl
@@itsAlzatron
1. Which year are you in, 2017~18? Face unlock has been pretty much dependable from 2020 onwards I'd say and with the Pixel 8 series, Google made the face unlock just as secure as the iPhone implementation, so that even banking applications have started using it as a way to authenticate.
2. Face unlock as a whole is a convenience feature, not secure at all. Someone who looks like you, maybe your sibling, father, mother, evil twin could pretty easily bypass iPhone's supposedly secure face unlock. Compare that to the fingerprint, which is unique to 1 in 64 billion or something. A proper ultrasonic fingerprint reader is super secure, reliable, and convenient than whatever face unlock nonsense Apple throws at you.
Android version aside, the software update that exited me the most in the past was when HTC released Sense 5. It's soo clean while still being soo feature packed compared to Sense 4.+ or vanilla android in that time.
Yes! HTC Sense was elite.
the main thing i noticed with android 15 is huge uplift in efficiency. easily hit 10+ hours on one charge.
i actually do believe that there are little to no way to drastically improve the experience. nowadays companies have to artificially force you to upgrade and lock certain useful features under never models, even if older ones are just as capable.
I totally agree.As from my pixel 6 Pro here, i have noticed significant battery efficency.
which device are you using? 10 + hours on a single charge is a dream to me
Material Design introduced in Lollipop back in 2014 still getting implemented today...5.0 was the biggest update
Instead of relying on major software updates that happen infrequently, Google has shifted its focus to smaller, more frequent updates called "Feature Drops" (or now, "Pixel Drops"). These quarterly updates provide users with a continuous stream of new features and improvements, keeping the excitement and anticipation high. This approach contrasts with the traditional model of large, infrequent updates, such as those used by iOS, which can sometimes feel stagnant in between releases. By delivering smaller updates more often, Google aims to create a more engaging and dynamic user experience.
2.x Gingerbread to 4 Kitkat, and from there to 5 Lollipop.
Starting from 10/11 everything began to feel like small updates.
Android 5 was extremely buggy on my phone back in the day. Version 5.1 fixed most of the bugs.
Jelly Bean's Project Butter making the GNex and other modern Androids at that time run nice and smooth was a game changer for me. Especially coming from the iPhone which felt soo much better before then
I remember phones offering RAW photos before Google made it official on the nexus phones.
So, brands are always ahead of google implementing new features to android, so much that at this point it doesn't matter if you have or not have the last version.
For example Huawei pura 70 ultra is running android 12 at its core and no reviewer has miss any feature (aside google apps)
The last thing that really excited me was gestures, so android 9, I think.
Tbh the main thing I want from updates is for the OS to be more lightweight, for the battery gains as well as lessened processing power+ram requirements
Android already has Airdrop through calibration with Windows. It's called Link to Windows. It's built into most Android models, except Pixel.
Quick Share as well.
Imagine circle-to-search would come with A15. That would make it one of the best os updates.
Huawei's "circle to screenshot" + Google Lens comes pretty close despite the 2-step process.
Wouldn't be surprised if Google begins merging features between the default camera app, Photos, Lens, Assistant Search, and Snapseed at some point.
Honestly, when Apple introduced AirPlay, I thought we were on the verge of a future where I wouldn’t need a desktop or laptop anymore. I imagined a world where my phone could do it all-where I could simply walk up to my desk and a wireless mouse, keyboard, and display would connect automatically, allowing me to handle everything from my phone just like on a computer. I’m still holding out hope for that future.
You can buy a Samsung and you will have dex
@@megamanmegaman6568not really the same. It's more like a beefier phone. It's still a phone.
@YISTECH It's the closest we have to that. And you can really do anything on android, so yeah... I'm trying to get sth like that for myself if I can't get a pc.
I agree that lollipop was hands down the biggest update. It changed the entire look and feel of android (I think for the better). I am not bothered by the smaller updates now though and I see that as a sign of a mature operating system. Android doesn't really need a major visual overhaul right now, it looks terrific and is fairly streamlined as is and a lot of the features most of the people are interested in right now can come to people in apps
People shouldn't forget that those "big" updates weren't necessary the best versions to use. 4.0 ICS was a major update, but 4.1-4.3 and 4.4 really rounded it out. 5.0 was massive, but it took IMO till 7.1 to really perfect the concept. After that, it took till 11 again to complete the stuff from 8.0 and 9.0. 12 was once again a bit of a mess.
The only thing I'm excited from Android 15 is edge to edge enforcement
I’m excited for my edge protection
Which kinda doesn't work!?
@@Hitesh001100it's only for apps targeting sdk 35, we won't probably see all apps implement it until Google play store increase their minimum sdk target level to 35, which is probably in 2-3 years
@@Hitesh001100it's only for apps targeting sdk 35, we won't probably see all apps implement this now until Google increase their minimum target sdk to 35, which is 2-3 android version from 15, but knowing google they will probably screw this up too and not implement it in their own apps
@@yumni45 lol that's google alright! Although, they already added an API for apps to opt out of the edge to edge mandate! So, we probably will be seeing only a bunch of apps maybe!
Under the hood changes are important. Since a14 im noticing better battery life. Thats something I would update to.
Ooooof. Cannot agree on the excitement for lollipop. (5.1 was when we started cooking with gas.) Made my nexus 6 a nightmare. Kit Kat was my fav in terms of fluidity and 12 is my favorite visually.
Is 12 different from 14? I jumped from 10 to 14.
@@queeniegreengrass3513 on pixel? Massively. 12 looked the best it ever did, but in terms of functionality? A LOT of things were broken but I feel like that was less the OS and more the 6 pro.13 cleaned most of it up but 14 got it to where it should've been in the first place.
I remembered when updates used to change how your phone looks. The animations, features and so on. I even install custom roms just to be updated.
Biggest change in my opinion was from Android 4.4 Kitkat to Android 5.0 Lollipop, next to this is was from Android 2.3 Gingerbread to 3.x for Tablets and 4.0 Icecream Sandwich for phones.
Airdrop for Android? Isn't it called Quickshare? It's available on my Galaxys, Pixels and Motos
It is. Not sure what he is on about in that regard.
I liked the introduction of the material you design from 11 to 12, It wasn't the biggest change but it was still significant!
If your computer supports bluetooth, you can then install Quick Share on your Windows laptop and share files with your phone that way.
Yes yes yes! Exactly what I have been thinking watching all the UA-camrs making videos about Android 15....like it's some huge update. It's not. Just like we have seen any innovation in smartphones over the past years. Just little improvements.
The 5.0 update was so good that even my shitty local brand phone running on Jellybean, I had to flash a KitKat rom with a bootleg design copy of Lollipop lmao.
Modern OS updates make less of a difference because early Android was rough as hell. Now it's being bloated with features that would have been individual apps for download in the app store in the past( the way I liked it). I believe security updates are way more important given the sensitive data residing on more modern smartphones and to that end should be mandated by law for up to 5yrs. In Google's case they need a better Soc before they need more OS updates.
The best new idea for me would be to make 'Digital Wellbeing' easy to uninstall! Refusing all permissions and stopping it doesn't stop it starting up in the background sneakily at random and you dont know until you check 'running apps'. If notifications are turned off and you clear the cache and data notifications turn back on and have to be stopped again. Useless and not wanted and where is our choice not to have it?
Last exciting android update for me wasn't even stock android
It was EMUI 14 based on Android 12
Based on my experience, im a samsung user and i recently changed into xiaomi phones. I was really amazed and surprised with many features of their android OS.
It was a 4-year old xiaomi phone but i constantly update it from Mui13, 14, 15 up to xiaomi hyperOS. Very amazing indeed!
Back then updates were like getting a new phone, i think that's why we were so excited for it. Nowadays it just feels like a .01 update with small features. Not a bad thing but not as exciting
Stability and original evolved features are more important than new build numbers and devolvement we see today.
4.1 was huge for me with project butter. The smoother animations and response time was finally closing the gap to the iOS user experience
I have the same feeling I'm rocking my Samsung note 10+ with android 12 and I don't feel I'm missing out on too much it's full of features and customization to the point where flashing custom rom would be loss of features I'm happy with it , although there's minor details in other OS's that I prefer more than one ui like selecting text from recent apps in pixel and ai features in photos and the big clock on the lock screen but it's just small things compared to the many features in one ui , it's now up to people taste in the ui aesthetics and the minor useful features for everyone to choose from
I'm also rocking Samsung Note 10+ with Android 12 and I'm loving it!
I agree completely. I used to even get excited to see what the next version would be called. The changes to your phone would usually be quite something along with the new features. I loved HTCs version of Android and the animations etc. Was sorry to see them go. Samsung always produced a good version too. My last Samsung was an S7 but I've used a couple of the A range and they're great value. I'm currently using a Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel watch and Google made them old tech pretty quickly by releasing the 8 and 9 phones and watch 2. Wasn't happy about that. But at least I've got Android 15 which is as you say underwhelming. Thanks for the video. I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling lacklustre about Android. Yes it's a great os but we need excitement back.
Going from holo design to material was the biggest update I ever saw in android, and it was in the golden era of rooting and customisation and us XDA devs had a blast those couple of years. Good old days!
Maaan android 5.0 Lolipop released 10 years ago 😢
I recall it changed UI drastically, gave a brand new device feel right away.
Actually android 5 was the first android to implement Material Design. Loved that time
I will say on my Pixel 8 Pro face unlock was already reliable and great but holy shit with Android 15 its so much faster now at the unlock!
I really need an "undo" on Android, and that's absolutely an OS thing
Often people confuse "big update" with design overhauls. But more important than that, are foundation updates or updates that change the way you use your device.
And Andoid 5 was both, while still slaped with a redesign on top of it !
Completely agree with most everything said. I am also using a OnePlus 12, looking forward to the 13, and a Pixel 9 Pro. I recently picked up a Motorola Razer+ 2024, and comments where mainly about how it takes Motorola forever to update Android to the latest greatest OS. To be honest, I like the Motorola Skin on Android 14 and could careless when they update to 15 on that device. It gets great battery life on the Snapdragon 8s processor, and with the 165hz screen and the 12 gigs of memory, feels snappy. I do not see any advantage in upgrading to 15 on that device so whenever it comes, it comes. I also agree that it has been a long time since we have seen anything that wowed us from Android, although the quality of life upgrades over the years have been nice, nothing like in the past. Like when Material U dropped so many years ago. I always appreciate your honest take on things.
Android 5 had slowed down my Nexus 7 (2013) significantly. It was superbly fluid on Kitkat. It took several versions of minor updates to fix the bugginess. By then I was already flashing custom roms and it became just an experimental device. Its still sitting inside my drawer at home somewhere. I don't think I ever experienced the smoothness of 4.4.4. Maybe its because we got too powerful devices and the software was sufficiently refined. But the smoothness was palpable when we jumped from Ice Cream Sandwich to Kitkat.
I think it’s time for the yearly update to come to an end. For both hardware and software.
For hardware yes, software no
I think going from touch whiz (Android 8) to one Ui (Android 9) on my note 9 was the most insane update I have ever experienced. That was almost 6 years ago now.
A11 to A12 was quite a jump, the interface went from a standard ui to match the accent of your wallpaper. Who knows what A16 might look or feel like.
*I will always be grateful for Android and Google for making everything simple and accessible and I wish them all the best in their continuous journey of doing the same* 💚
Yes those earlier versions had room for improvements, so improved they have gotten. The last number Android I really enjoyed when it was released was Android 11, I just remember having it on my OnePlus device it was just awesome, smooth and I really liked the layout.
Shame on me watched 5 videos straight on this channel, after this video I'll subscribe ❤
As a basic phone user i haven't really noticed a HUGE difference from android 9 on my old s8 to my s21 & now s24. Feels the same.
The Marshmallow update was the one for me. Being able to move apps to the MicroSD card of my HTC One M8 was worth trying to pull down the OTA from a wifi hotspot at the camp ground I was staying at when it dropped…and worth accidentally deleting half the music I had on the MicroSD card 😅
Funny thing is some developers have to put Samsung-specific fixes to make their apps work. So as long as you use something that is not so heavily modified your apps should run fine, because they're usually tested against Pixel phones.
The biggest jump in recent memory was the android 12 quick settings and the material you design philosophy.
Android 14 removing persistent notifications was a devastating change for me. I struggle to comprehend the reasoning behind that decision from the Google heads. Currently in route back to Apple's far superior ecosystem and software experience.
Still reminiscing over late 2017 news of fuschia being the next step up from Android. While the project is still active on GHub, I believe it just became a test-bed for google to experiment UI for handheld or home devices instead of being the next 4.4 -> 5.0 Lollipop jump for mobile devices.
I remember getting Android 9 pie for the first time. I believe that was also when Samsung first launched one UI. That update felt big. Not so much since then.
Android 5 (Major overhaul)
Android 7 and 11 (snappy fast and reliable)
Android 14 (12 was a major overhaul but refinement reached in 14 with most ui's reaching peak smoothness)
KitKat to Lollipop was an iconic era. Back when Android was more open and updates were rare, I'd flash a ton of Lollipop-themed ROMs every week or so and use Titanium Backup for migrating, which never received a UI revamp to this day. It was also a time when there was more competition not just with OEMs (RIP HTC, LG) but also platforms (Windows Phone, FirefoxOS, Blackberry. Heck even Cyanogen threatened to replace Google Play). Nowadays we're stuck with locked bootloaders and the choice of Google or Apple, unless antitrust forces them to break up.
I will not miss having to wait a year for official updates though... or often not having updates at all. God knows how much ewaste the old update system produced.
I was hoping for a big update. There are so many features I'd like to see be standard in Android.
And I couldn't agree more with the Video Title... and I agree 5.0 was the complete overhaul. However, little good asthetic UI changes were continued untill 9.0. After that Its all crap so much so that I stopped waiting for new versions.
Thanks for addressing the right subject.
2:34 On my Ipad I would really benefit from this feature, I often multitask with certain apps and my writing app. The shortcut app at least offers a solution, but this would've been much easier.
It's now really other OEMs making their own skins more worthy upgrades. Like the upcoming one UI 7 looks like a significant change form one UI 6. It really does matter what phone you choose to buy now
Android 12 was the biggest aesthetic change recently but the biggest functionality and visual change was probably from 4.4 KitKat to 5 marshmallow.
I currently still stayed on Android 10. While maybe end of this year or 2025, I will enjoying Android 14 for the first time 😅
I hope software mattering more about the OEMs will increase competition for them to make groundbreaking features and improve software
You wont feel it much but under the hood there are changes like with Android 15 you can now save passkeys on 3rd party password manager or both password manager
I was still partly excited about Android 15 on my Pixel 8. Primarily because it seemed like it might improve battery life and I gotta say so far its snappier for the most part and the standby battery life is WAY better. General battery life is also better. Normally I play Duel Links and on the Pixel 8 (A14) it felt like my battery died so fast for a simple game. I played for a whole hour yesterday and I lost like 3% total where as before it would be like 8% or something close to that. Also I only use my phones on max brightness so honestly kind of impressed.
My use barely scratch the surface of what's available but they keep on adding features. I just switched from a Pixel 6a to a S22+ and there's a huge learning curve of Samsung specific features. Maybe AI will get good enough, users won't need to learn how to do things on their phones, but rather just tell their phone's virtual assistant what they want.
I feel what you said. UI changes are really exciting, and lolipop was the most fun update ever
used a note 10 for a year from 2022 to 2023. A 5 years old phone with android 12. Switched to Xiaomi 11T with android 14, didn't feel i missed anything if i were to come back to note 10
0:21 Nexus 4! That so reminds me of high school 🥲
Having used custom ROMs for years, I'm excited to try out OneUI for the first time in hopes of getting similar customization and updates with less bugs and SafetyNet battles.
Once you've spent a year with the OnePlus Open, app groups and app pairs are hard to live without
Android already had apps available to older versions like run on 5y old OS version. Then google added play system module using project treble which added many features available directly through google updates, not conflicting OEM updates.
Now many of the features are coming to android with play services and play services system updates.
One major thing can be done is crossplatform functionality, use exe files in android, apk in iOS and vice versa.
That Looks like smart spacer at a glance on the homescreen
Pro tip: Apple feature doesn't need to be used daily to be groundbreaking or so useful that you can't go without it. App pairs is something like the s-pen, it's not something I use every day of even weekly but when it's needed for me it's sorely needed
My most wanted feather is, wirelessly connect my phone to a monitor/keyboard/mouse and have Stevie fully featured windows running in it! Just like Dex.
I’m using a 6 year old realme with android 11 and I’m seriously facing 0 issues in my daily usage . It’s also perfectly fast and snappy because the software didn’t update beyond 11
lollipop was like a paradigm shift
i remember when all i want was to see my phone on android 5 lollipop i went on to root and install custom ROM i was using one Samsung pocket android,i can't remember the name.
soo nostalgic
I simply love UI. Samsung does a wonderful job on software. ❤
Damn Thomas was on a roll on his own channel and AP at the same time, guess he finally know the play of both side😂anyway, android 15 while may felt like just another os that isn't needed, I still hope Google bring some Android 12L like multitasking features and see if Samsung OneUI 7 bringing massive shift as well
This is actually a very good point because Android has matured so much that you can't get upset same thing with Apple it's mature so much it's kind of plateaued
Well, Apple iOS never felt like they upgraded until just recently with the iOS 18.1 which feels more like iOS 3 or 4 if we're talking about huge updates imo.
Phones and os interfaces are already almost perfect. All we need is perpetual security updates
More customization options-Themes. Option to remove or change at a glance.
7:06 Since few months there's a support for microsoft office files via office 365 on chromeos, so it doesn't sound impossible