I can’t imagine buying a phone and not being able to uninstall the crap that comes on it.
This is so embarrassing.
Wasn’t this supposed to be the next foss friendly phone
Just let me disable the damn AI button.
I don’t think so. But we have to wait and see.
That’s not good enough.
I want to be able to repurpose that button to whatever other (no-AI) action I feel like.Or don’t have the button.
Even better!
I’m holding out for Librephone. My current phone should last long enough… I hope.
I am probably going to have to move off Android soon (iOS is not an option, as it’s also run by corrupt American oligarchs).
F-Droid not working is unacceptable for me. Most commercial apps are complete trash and should be banned from any normal app store.
Worst comes to worst, I will have to carry two phones, a locked down Android for banking and work apps and a libre phone for personal use.
Nothing is just as bad as all other OEMs as we can see from this incident.
F-Droid and the Izzydroid repo works without issues on my Nothing Phone 3. So does Aurora store. I am not rooted, just utilizing Shizuku and ADB to disable unwanted items and it has been a flawless experience. My bootloader can be unlocked though it won’t be until we can easily work around this Play Integrity garbage. But if that gets worse I’ll disable everything Google and just use or make alternatives myself. Nothing’s Essential Space and their widgets all use OpenAI calls rather than Google and it is stored only on device. I would know, I lost it all when I wiped my phone for the Beta update.
I really think Nothing gets undue hate from a loud minority. I agree it isn’t cool to add apps that you can’t uninstall from spyware companies, but:
- The community backlashed and the took it back
- Samsung phones, arguably the most popular Android phone by a large margin comes with LOTS of bloatware that cannot be disabled and they won’t backtrack on that
- Pixel is only going to get worse as Google Play Services digs deeper into every aspect of the device and the custom rom community for them collapses due to Google removing Pixel hardware as the AOSP standard.
We’re running out of good phone options, but at least Nothing is still listening…for now of course.
I can and do currently use F-Droid. But with Google’s changes, I believe it won’t matter which brand you use, you won’t be able to use F-Droid.
This is massive issue for me as I tend to use open source alternatives for most common apps (PDF/document viewer, YT client, 2FA, health tracking, text editor and so on…).
Samsung phones, arguably the most popular Android phone by a large margin comes with LOTS of bloatware that cannot be disabled and they won’t backtrack on that
I could be wrong on this, but at least my A73 doesn’t really have that much bloatware that cannot be disabled.
I don’t have any allegiance to Samsung or Nothing or anything company.
I use Samsung for the family (we all have the same custom launcher) because I am comfortable with their settings and we have an actual Samsung retail/repair location nearby. The A series are also relatively cheap and at least in our country, we don’t have ads.
Nothing implementing adware and spyware is big black mark for them (IMO).
I can’t speak for the A73, but I purchased US Verizon branded Galaxy S23’s for some family members since they needed compatible phones out of the box. The 23s were filled with all of Meta’s apps, everything from Verizon, Verizon partner apps and games. Much of which could only be disabled even though we didn’t want them or preferred to use our own version of the apps.
I agree with you that no one is blameless, but you’d be yelling into the void if you wanted Samsung or Verizon to remove apps that supplements their profit on the phone they sell. At least for now, Nothing is small enough to respond to this and I imagine are just playing a numbers game allowing uninstalls for those that want it but just hopes to retain the Meta money from adding it to the phone in the first place. Whatever the reason, at least they responded and are making changes.
It’s been a while since I lived in the US, but my rules for dealing with US telcos were 1. no contracts under any conditions 2. Always bring your own phone.
Samsung is of course more than happy to split the money with Verizon, but that’s why you buy your own phone and not via the carrier.
I did have a corporate provided Samsung phone and the default install was loaded with trash. I had to install LOS on it, it ran so much better and the UX was much cleaner, This experience actually made me avoid Samsung for six years.
That being said, in 2020 I tried their A series and the experience was very clean (it was my device and this wasn’t the US). I’ve been buying the A series since then. It really helps that Samsung has a retail presence and actually engages with the market (Apple doesn’t bother even though there are tons of iPhones out and about).
Nothing would also join on any scheme in the US if they could pull it off, so in my case there is not point in choosing Nothing over Samsung.
Agree to disagree then, because I wouldn’t choose Samsung or their Knox locked phones under literally any circumstances. A series moved to Knox security in 2024. Also, Samsung has kept a proprietary VoLTE implementation that doesn’t work on LOS or any third party ROM making it a step down for those who want freedom from the stock OneUI.
Unlockable bootloaders that can be relocked without voiding the warranty and using no proprietary VoLTE technology is a huge reason to support Nothing over Samsung. But you have your reasons and I have mine. Enjoy your A Series, I’ll keep my Nothing devices until they go the way of OnePlus and Pixel.
GrapheneOS is still a good alternative I think, you’ll be able to use f-droid on it still
But you have to pay Google for the Pixel. Still, it is by far the best option out there. I got mine second hand and can recommend
agreed, that part feels weird
