• Shortcut to Bluetooth Tethering?

    From s|b@21:1/5 to All on Mon Dec 23 15:42:28 2024
    I must have asked the same question a long time ago, but no answers that
    solved my problem. Maybe today?

    I have a Toyota Yaris Hybrid (2019) which comes with Coyote and a GPS
    that benefits from connection to the Internet. Unfortunately, this model doesn't work with a hotspot on a smartphone, but uses Bluetooth
    Tethering.

    So far, so good, but the problem is that BT Tethering 'hangs' when I
    turn off the engine and my smartphone heats up (also BT is blocked). So
    every time I have to manually go to Settings > Network and Internet >
    Hotspot and Tethering and turn off (and on) Bluetooth Tethering.

    This bug hasn't been fixed over the years and way in the past there was
    an app specifically for BT Tethering, but I can't use that anymore.
    Can't create a widget either.

    Is there a way around this, so I can go directly to the BT Tethering
    settings? I'm using a Pixel 6, Android 15, all updates installed.

    --
    s|b

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to All on Tue Dec 24 04:09:40 2024
    s|b wrote on Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:42:28 +0100 :

    Is there a way around this, so I can go directly to the BT Tethering settings? I'm using a Pixel 6, Android 15, all updates installed.

    I spent many hours writing the tutorial for exactly how to do this.
    It's in the archives so you should be able to find it in a search.

    In addition, I posted a lot of the same information to XDA because I'm a kind-hearted helpful person who cares to extend knowledge to everyone.

    <http://xdaforums.com/t/tutorial-illustrated-mostly-privacy-based-one-tap-shortcuts-so-that-you-can-access-in-a-single-tap-any-buried-android-setting-or-app-activity.4625951/>

    Merry Christmas!

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  • From s|b@21:1/5 to Andrew on Thu Dec 26 14:05:20 2024
    On Tue, 24 Dec 2024 04:09:40 -0000 (UTC), Andrew wrote:

    I spent many hours writing the tutorial for exactly how to do this.
    It's in the archives so you should be able to find it in a search.

    Got a suggestion for an online Usenet Archive? All I can find is usenetarchives.com which doesn't allow searching (also, archive stops
    after 2022).

    In addition, I posted a lot of the same information to XDA because I'm a kind-hearted helpful person who cares to extend knowledge to everyone.

    <http://xdaforums.com/t/tutorial-illustrated-mostly-privacy-based-one-tap-shortcuts-so-that-you-can-access-in-a-single-tap-any-buried-android-setting-or-app-activity.4625951/>

    This shows me it's possible, but complicated. (-: I'll give it a go.

    --
    s|b

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to All on Fri Dec 27 18:56:06 2024
    s|b wrote on Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:05:20 +0100 :

    This shows me it's possible, but complicated. (-: I'll give it a go.

    It's actually easy.

    I have written many tutorials on this subject but people don't read.

    Here's the summary for you since I'm a helpful person to the bone
    (but I'm frustrated that it has to be repeated so many times on this ng).

    1. Install & open Muntashirakon App Manager (many threads on this).
    2. Find the Android SETTINGS package listed inside of Muntashirakon.
    3. Go to the "Activities" section and find the activity you seek.
    4. Tape the button to create a homescreen shortcut to that activity.

    That's it. How hard is that?

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to All on Fri Dec 27 19:01:54 2024
    s|b wrote on Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:05:20 +0100 :

    I spent many hours writing the tutorial for exactly how to do this.
    It's in the archives so you should be able to find it in a search.

    Got a suggestion for an online Usenet Archive? All I can find is usenetarchives.com which doesn't allow searching (also, archive stops
    after 2022).

    This is a frustrating question to answer because the answer has been stated
    a billion times in this newsgroup - which is very frustrating to me.

    If I give you the answer a billion more times, will you remember it?

    It's this easy:

    a. For web-searchable archives up to February 22 2024, use this:
    <https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android>

    b. For later archives, use this:
    <https://www.novabbs.com/computers/search.php?group=comp.mobile.android>

    SorB,
    Since this has been posted a billion times, what is it that caused you to
    miss it all those billions of times? It's not just you. It's everyone.

    There is almost no question asked on this newsgroup that hasn't been
    answered already a billion times. Why do people keep asking it over & over?

    What needs to be done so that people REMEMBER something this simple?
    <https://tinyurl.com/comp-mobile-android>
    <https://tinyurl.com/nova-comp-mobile-android>

    Hell, we designed the URLs to be so simple you can't forget them.
    And yet, people ask the same question a billion times over & over.
    --
    Answering this same question a billion times is rather frustrating.

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  • From R.Wieser@21:1/5 to All on Fri Dec 27 21:01:01 2024
    s|b,

    Can't create a widget either.

    The below talks about how to create a widget to/of the "settings" menu, and
    how you can pre-select a sub-item from it (I'm assuming you can still create widgets).

    https://www.gtricks.com/android/create-home-screen-shortcuts-settings-sub-items-android/

    (Add Settings shortcut widget)

    I followed those directions (on a pixel 6) to see if it would work as advertised, and selected, for step 3, "devices" as sub-item. It worked, and might be all you need.

    Regards,
    Rudy Wieser

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Andrew on Sat Dec 28 01:50:18 2024
    On 2024-12-27 19:56, Andrew wrote:
    s|b wrote on Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:05:20 +0100 :

    This shows me it's possible, but complicated. (-: I'll give it a go.

    It's actually easy.

    I have written many tutorials on this subject but people don't read.

    Just point the link to the howto. Saying that you wrote it here is not
    valid. Of course we don't search what you call the archive. If you have
    useful tutorials, just post them on a fixed known site, properly
    formatted and indexed.

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From s|b@21:1/5 to R.Wieser on Sat Dec 28 19:11:18 2024
    On Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:01:01 +0100, R.Wieser wrote:

    The below talks about how to create a widget to/of the "settings" menu, and how you can pre-select a sub-item from it (I'm assuming you can still create widgets).

    https://www.gtricks.com/android/create-home-screen-shortcuts-settings-sub-items-android/

    (Add Settings shortcut widget)

    I followed those directions (on a pixel 6) to see if it would work as advertised, and selected, for step 3, "devices" as sub-item. It worked, and might be all you need.

    I know about the widget, but it doesn't work for me. What I need isn't
    under 'Devices'.

    Settings > Network and Internet > Hotspot and Tethering >
    Bluetooth-tethering

    Don't know if the Shortcutter Quick Settings app is of any use. It
    hasn't been updated since 2020.

    --
    s|b

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Sat Dec 28 18:47:22 2024
    s|b <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On Fri, 27 Dec 2024 21:01:01 +0100, R.Wieser wrote:

    The below talks about how to create a widget to/of the "settings"
    menu, and how you can pre-select a sub-item from it (I'm assuming
    you can still create widgets).

    https://www.gtricks.com/android/create-home-screen-shortcuts-settings-sub-items-android/

    (Add Settings shortcut widget)

    I followed those directions (on a pixel 6) to see if it would work
    as advertised, and selected, for step 3, "devices" as sub-item. It
    worked, and might be all you need.

    I know about the widget, but it doesn't work for me. What I need isn't
    under 'Devices'.

    Settings > Network and Internet > Hotspot and Tethering >
    Bluetooth-tethering

    Don't know if the Shortcutter Quick Settings app is of any use. It
    hasn't been updated since 2020.

    Do you have a Samsung phone? If so, the Gtricks article says the "Add Settings shortcut widget" method does not work for newer (whatever that
    means) Samsung phones and you need to "Use a third-party app":
    "Shortcutter" [Quick Settings].

    In any case, I would try the Shortcutter Quick Settings app. Not being updated in a long time, isn't neccessarily a bad thing. Good software
    doesn't have to be fixed/updated every other day! :-( This post is
    brought to you by over two *decade* old software!

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  • From s|b@21:1/5 to Andrew on Sat Dec 28 19:19:30 2024
    On Fri, 27 Dec 2024 18:56:06 -0000 (UTC), Andrew wrote:

    It's actually easy.

    I have written many tutorials on this subject but people don't read.

    Your link provided me with a lot text... in English... which isn't my
    native language. Also, after experiencing psychosis twice reading and concentrating isn't as easy as it was.

    Here's the summary for you since I'm a helpful person to the bone
    (but I'm frustrated that it has to be repeated so many times on this ng).

    1. Install & open Muntashirakon App Manager (many threads on this).
    2. Find the Android SETTINGS package listed inside of Muntashirakon.
    3. Go to the "Activities" section and find the activity you seek.
    4. Tape the button to create a homescreen shortcut to that activity.

    That's it. How hard is that?

    You want me to lick your balls now?

    --
    s|b

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Chris on Sat Dec 28 23:36:20 2024
    On 2024-12-28 22:28, Chris wrote:
    Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On 2024-12-27 19:56, Andrew wrote:
    s|b wrote on Thu, 26 Dec 2024 14:05:20 +0100 :

    This shows me it's possible, but complicated. (-: I'll give it a go.

    It's actually easy.

    I have written many tutorials on this subject but people don't read.

    Just point the link to the howto. Saying that you wrote it here is not
    valid. Of course we don't search what you call the archive.

    It's also pointless to state "he" has done them because no-one knows under which particular nym was used at the time. Makes it very difficult to find.

    And terribly long threads, and additions... very long and tedious to
    find information.

    I only consider tutorials as valid if posted in a fixed website,
    properly indexed and formatted.

    But maybe he has to sign with a name, LOL.




    If you have
    useful tutorials, just post them on a fixed known site, properly
    formatted and indexed.

    Exactly. I've pointed this out to him in the past, but his paranoia gets
    the better of him. Being a known person in the internet is not the same as giving up your privacy. Just ask Satoshi Nakamoto ;)


    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Carlos E.R. on Sun Dec 29 00:18:05 2024
    Carlos E.R. wrote on Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:36:20 +0100 :

    I only consider tutorials as valid if posted in a fixed website,
    properly indexed and formatted.

    I'm frustrated that almost everyone (save for Andy) is a moron on this ng.

    The tutorial in question was not only posted to this newsgroup,
    but it was also posted to XDA which is exactly what you say you read.

    Why didn't you read that tutorial first, before claiming it isn't valid?

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to All on Sun Dec 29 00:18:06 2024
    s|b wrote on Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:19:30 +0100 :

    That's it. How hard is that?

    You want me to lick your balls now?

    You asked a question that has been answered a billion times already.

    I spend hours and hours writing a tutorial with many annotated images.
    So that people like you can do, in seconds, what took me days to learn.

    And then you act like that?

    Do you at least see why I'm frustrated trying to help people like you?

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Chris on Sun Dec 29 00:21:04 2024
    Chris wrote on Sat, 28 Dec 2024 21:28:33 -0000 (UTC) :

    If you have
    useful tutorials, just post them on a fixed known site, properly
    formatted and indexed.

    Exactly. I've pointed this out to him in the past, but his paranoia gets
    the better of him.

    I gave the link to XDA forums for God's sake Chris.

    Do you at least see why I'm frustrated that people like you exist here?

    Other than Andy, the rest of you are utter morons - devoid of intelligence.

    You claim a link that exists doesn't exist for Heaven's sake.

    Who is *that* stupid?

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Sun Dec 29 00:26:46 2024
    Frank Slootweg wrote on 28 Dec 2024 18:47:22 GMT :

    Do you have a Samsung phone? If so, the Gtricks article says the "Add Settings shortcut widget" method does not work for newer (whatever that means) Samsung phones and you need to "Use a third-party app":
    "Shortcutter" [Quick Settings].

    In any case, I would try the Shortcutter Quick Settings app. Not being updated in a long time, isn't neccessarily a bad thing. Good software
    doesn't have to be fixed/updated every other day! :-( This post is
    brought to you by over two *decade* old software!

    How to do it has been explained a billion times on this very newsgroup.

    There's a reason I have said many times on this newsgroup that the Muntashirakon App Manager is one of the best apps in all of Android.

    1. Open that app manager & then tap on the Android "Settings" package;
    2. Go to the "Activities" tab and find the public activity you seek;
    3. Press "Create Shortcut" which creates the shortcut on the homescreen.

    How hard is that?

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Andrew on Sun Dec 29 02:02:28 2024
    On 2024-12-29 01:18, Andrew wrote:
    Carlos E.R. wrote on Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:36:20 +0100 :

    I only consider tutorials as valid if posted in a fixed website,
    properly indexed and formatted.

    I'm frustrated that almost everyone (save for Andy) is a moron on this ng.

    The tutorial in question was not only posted to this newsgroup, but it
    was also posted to XDA which is exactly what you say you read.

    Why didn't you read that tutorial first, before claiming it isn't valid?

    XDA is a forum? Then I will not read it.

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Andrew on Sun Dec 29 02:01:39 2024
    On 2024-12-29 01:18, Andrew wrote:
    Carlos E.R. wrote on Sat, 28 Dec 2024 23:36:20 +0100 :

    I only consider tutorials as valid if posted in a fixed website,
    properly indexed and formatted.

    I'm frustrated that almost everyone (save for Andy) is a moron on this ng.

    The tutorial in question was not only posted to this newsgroup, but it
    was also posted to XDA which is exactly what you say you read.

    Why didn't you read that tutorial first, before claiming it isn't valid?

    Because you did not post a static link.

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From s|b@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Mon Dec 30 17:38:02 2024
    On 28 Dec 2024 18:47:22 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:

    Do you have a Samsung phone?

    Once. Never again. I almost threw that thing against the wall... twice.
    I've been using Pixel since Nexus 5X.

    --
    s|b

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  • From Bob Martin@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Tue Dec 31 07:06:56 2024
    On 30 Dec 2024 at 16:38:02, "s|b" <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On 28 Dec 2024 18:47:22 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:

    Do you have a Samsung phone?

    Once. Never again. I almost threw that thing against the wall... twice.
    I've been using Pixel since Nexus 5X.

    Same here.

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  • From Andrew@21:1/5 to Bob Martin on Wed Jan 1 01:51:02 2025
    Bob Martin wrote on 31 Dec 2024 07:06:56 GMT :

    Do you have a Samsung phone?

    Once. Never again. I almost threw that thing against the wall... twice.
    I've been using Pixel since Nexus 5X.

    Same here.

    What does a Google Pixel do that is useful that a Samsung Galaxy can't do?
    --
    Other than A/B booting (which, admittedly, is a nice feature).

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Andrew on Wed Jan 1 22:58:58 2025
    On 2025-01-01 02:51, Andrew wrote:
    Bob Martin wrote on 31 Dec 2024 07:06:56 GMT :

      Do you have a Samsung phone?

    Once. Never again. I almost threw that thing against the wall... twice.
    I've been using Pixel since Nexus 5X.

    Same here.

    What does a Google Pixel do that is useful that a Samsung Galaxy can't do?

    AFAIK, it can talk to spammers on the phone, then decides whether to
    tell you or not, so that then you can continue the conversation.

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From Arno Welzel@21:1/5 to All on Wed Jan 1 23:06:47 2025
    Andrew, 2025-01-01 02:51:

    Bob Martin wrote on 31 Dec 2024 07:06:56 GMT :

    Do you have a Samsung phone?

    Once. Never again. I almost threw that thing against the wall... twice.
    I've been using Pixel since Nexus 5X.

    Same here.

    What does a Google Pixel do that is useful that a Samsung Galaxy can't do?

    It provides vanilla Android and not Android mixed with a manufacturer UI
    and modified functions.


    --
    Arno Welzel
    https://arnowelzel.de

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  • From s|b@21:1/5 to Andrew on Thu Jan 2 14:10:25 2025
    On Sun, 29 Dec 2024 00:18:06 -0000 (UTC), Andrew wrote:

    You asked a question that has been answered a billion times already.

    I'm sorry, I've never seen postings about how to make a shortcut to
    Bluetooth Tethering.

    I spend hours and hours writing a tutorial with many annotated images.
    So that people like you can do, in seconds, what took me days to learn.

    Again, I was - specifically - searching for a shortcut to Bluetooth
    Tethering. There used to be a app in Google Play Store that did this.

    And then you act like that?

    Do you at least see why I'm frustrated trying to help people like you?

    It's /your/ reaction that made me react like that. You're basically
    calling everyone on this newsgroup a moron (except yourself, of course)
    because apparently we missed the most important posting of the century.

    --
    s|b

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  • From s|b@21:1/5 to Arno Welzel on Thu Jan 2 14:12:09 2025
    On Wed, 1 Jan 2025 23:06:47 +0100, Arno Welzel wrote:

    It provides vanilla Android and not Android mixed with a manufacturer UI
    and modified functions.

    AKA It's not filled with crap from Samsung.

    --
    s|b

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Thu Jan 2 15:05:08 2025
    s|b <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On Wed, 1 Jan 2025 23:06:47 +0100, Arno Welzel wrote:

    It provides vanilla Android and not Android mixed with a manufacturer UI and modified functions.

    AKA It's not filled with crap from Samsung.

    *Every* manufacturer fills their devices with "crap", not just
    Samsung.

    Only for Google phones, 'we' do not call it "crap", but "vanilla", "standard", "stock", etc..

    Now do the same exercise for Windows and Chrome!

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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Thu Jan 2 21:43:10 2025
    On 2025-01-02 16:05, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    s|b <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On Wed, 1 Jan 2025 23:06:47 +0100, Arno Welzel wrote:

    It provides vanilla Android and not Android mixed with a manufacturer UI >>> and modified functions.

    AKA It's not filled with crap from Samsung.

    *Every* manufacturer fills their devices with "crap", not just
    Samsung.

    Hum. No, some manufacturers don't "fill". They add less customization,
    like Motorola (Lenovo group). This way updates come faster.

    Samsung phones use to have older Android versions, and sometimes they
    don't update the phone to the next version after being sold. And that
    update comes several months later, because they have to add again their customization layer. And in the case of Samsung, it is big.

    This is not absolutely bad, some people do like those additions. I do
    like them, just not the delay they mean.


    Only for Google phones, 'we' do not call it "crap", but "vanilla", "standard", "stock", etc..

    No, google phones come directly without a customization layer.


    Now do the same exercise for Windows and Chrome!

    Yes, some companies sell their laptops with a lot of customization. Say
    HP. This is not bad per se. The recovery feature is good. But the layer
    can include apps that slow the laptop while promoting their business
    interests.


    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to Carlos E.R. on Fri Jan 3 13:35:14 2025
    Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On 2025-01-02 16:05, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    s|b <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On Wed, 1 Jan 2025 23:06:47 +0100, Arno Welzel wrote:

    It provides vanilla Android and not Android mixed with a manufacturer UI >>> and modified functions.

    AKA It's not filled with crap from Samsung.

    *Every* manufacturer fills their devices with "crap", not just
    Samsung.

    Hum. No, some manufacturers don't "fill". They add less customization,
    like Motorola (Lenovo group). This way updates come faster.

    I said "fill", because it's the term 's|b' used. I don't consider my
    phones "filled with crap" or having too much customization.

    Samsung phones use to have older Android versions, and sometimes they
    don't update the phone to the next version after being sold. And that
    update comes several months later, because they have to add again their customization layer. And in the case of Samsung, it is big.

    As you said, that *used* to be the case, but is no longer the case for
    many years, at least 4+ years, but probably longer. My 4+ year old
    Samsung Galaxy A51 lower-range phone came with Android 10 and was
    updated to 11, 12 and finally 13.

    This is not absolutely bad, some people do like those additions. I do
    like them, just not the delay they mean.

    It's a don't care for me. Security updates come in between the major versions, not only via the manufacturer, but also through 'Google Play
    system updates' (note case of the spelling, they are *system* updates,
    not updates to the Google Play app or its other components).

    Only for Google phones, 'we' do not call it "crap", but "vanilla", "standard", "stock", etc..

    No, google phones come directly without a customization layer.

    Of course, but they are still customized and I doubt that they don't
    come with any Pixel-only or/and third-party software. And over time the meaning/content of "vanilla"/"standard"/"stock" Android has changed, so
    let's not use those meaningless terms and just - as for any Android
    phone - mention brand, model and Android version.

    And, one man's "crap" is another man's functionality.

    Now do the same exercise for Windows and Chrome!

    Yes, some companies sell their laptops with a lot of customization. Say
    HP. This is not bad per se. The recovery feature is good. But the layer
    can include apps that slow the laptop while promoting their business interests.

    On my HP laptops there's no "promoting" going on. On the current one,
    there's about 100MB of HP-related processes, taking no other resources
    (CPU, Disk and Network all at 0%).

    FYI, my current laptop no longer has "the recovery feature". There's
    no 'Recovery Manager' anymore (which allowed you to re-install a factory version from the (HP) recovery partition). I assume the Windows 10 and
    11 check/repair functions were considered good enough that HP's Recovery Manager was no longer needed.

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  • From Arno Welzel@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jan 3 22:14:38 2025
    Frank Slootweg, 2025-01-02 16:05:

    s|b <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On Wed, 1 Jan 2025 23:06:47 +0100, Arno Welzel wrote:

    It provides vanilla Android and not Android mixed with a manufacturer UI >>> and modified functions.

    AKA It's not filled with crap from Samsung.

    *Every* manufacturer fills their devices with "crap", not just
    Samsung.

    Only for Google phones, 'we' do not call it "crap", but "vanilla", "standard", "stock", etc..

    Because Android on Pixel devices *is* as Google developed it and not
    modified by Samsung or any other manufacturer. Of course Google installs
    their own apps on it. But most of these apps can be removed or at least disabled.

    The point is, that any feature provided by Android itself is not modifed
    as it is usually the case on devices by Samsung, Motorla, Xiaomi etc. -
    because those manufacturers want to provide a "unique" user experience
    by adding their own UI and their own *system* modifications to Android.

    Now do the same exercise for Windows and Chrome!

    What execercise? There is no Windows 10 or 11 which is modified by the manufacturer in the same way as Android on Smartphones. You only get a
    bunch of apps pre-installed in Windows - but things like Windows
    Explorer, Windows settings etc. will always look the same, the no matter
    what device you purchase with Windows. Also with Windows comes Edge as
    default browser, which is not the case for Android devices where you
    either get Chrome or Samsung Internet or Xiaomi Browser or whatever the manufacturer decided to provide.


    --
    Arno Welzel
    https://arnowelzel.de

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Arno Welzel@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jan 3 22:17:19 2025
    Carlos E.R., 2025-01-02 21:43:

    On 2025-01-02 16:05, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    [...]
    Now do the same exercise for Windows and Chrome!

    Yes, some companies sell their laptops with a lot of customization. Say
    HP. This is not bad per se. The recovery feature is good. But the layer
    can include apps that slow the laptop while promoting their business interests.

    Windows itself is still not customized by HP. Recovery is a built-in
    feature of Windows, just used by HP to provide their own tool for it.
    But you can always create your own recovery setup in Windows without any
    tools by HP.

    And all pre-installed apps can be removed in Windows or you just install
    a "clean" version of Windows instead of the one provided by HP.


    --
    Arno Welzel
    https://arnowelzel.de

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Arno Welzel@21:1/5 to All on Fri Jan 3 22:20:33 2025
    Frank Slootweg, 2025-01-03 14:35:

    Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
    [...]
    No, google phones come directly without a customization layer.

    Of course, but they are still customized and I doubt that they don't

    What kind of customizations do you refer to? I don't see any difference
    between AOSP and Android with Google Services except that AOSP does not
    provide the Google Services of course. But the UI itself including the
    UI and features the system apps is the same.

    come with any Pixel-only or/and third-party software. And over time the

    Except the Google camera app I don't know any "Pixel only" app. And on
    my Pixel 6a I did not find any third-party software at all.


    --
    Arno Welzel
    https://arnowelzel.de

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Fri Jan 3 22:45:04 2025
    On 2025-01-03 14:35, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On 2025-01-02 16:05, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    s|b <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On Wed, 1 Jan 2025 23:06:47 +0100, Arno Welzel wrote:

    It provides vanilla Android and not Android mixed with a manufacturer UI >>>>> and modified functions.

    AKA It's not filled with crap from Samsung.

    *Every* manufacturer fills their devices with "crap", not just
    Samsung.

    Hum. No, some manufacturers don't "fill". They add less customization,
    like Motorola (Lenovo group). This way updates come faster.

    I said "fill", because it's the term 's|b' used. I don't consider my phones "filled with crap" or having too much customization.

    Samsung phones use to have older Android versions, and sometimes they
    don't update the phone to the next version after being sold. And that
    update comes several months later, because they have to add again their
    customization layer. And in the case of Samsung, it is big.

    As you said, that *used* to be the case, but is no longer the case for many years, at least 4+ years, but probably longer. My 4+ year old
    Samsung Galaxy A51 lower-range phone came with Android 10 and was
    updated to 11, 12 and finally 13.

    Probably because your phone is high end. AFAIK Samsung does this with
    only some models.

    ...

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to Arno Welzel on Sat Jan 4 14:53:40 2025
    Arno Welzel <[email protected]> wrote:
    Frank Slootweg, 2025-01-03 14:35:

    Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
    [...]
    No, google phones come directly without a customization layer.

    Of course, but they are still customized and I doubt that they don't

    What kind of customizations do you refer to? I don't see any difference between AOSP and Android with Google Services except that AOSP does not provide the Google Services of course. But the UI itself including the
    UI and features the system apps is the same.

    Mainly customizations for device-specific hardware and - consequently
    - customized settings in the submenus of Settings.

    come with any Pixel-only or/and third-party software. And over time the

    Except the Google camera app I don't know any "Pixel only" app. And on
    my Pixel 6a I did not find any third-party software at all.

    Thanks. Strange, but if you say so, I accept it of course.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to Arno Welzel on Sat Jan 4 15:10:44 2025
    Arno Welzel <[email protected]> wrote:
    Carlos E.R., 2025-01-02 21:43:

    On 2025-01-02 16:05, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    [...]
    Now do the same exercise for Windows and Chrome!

    Yes, some companies sell their laptops with a lot of customization. Say
    HP. This is not bad per se. The recovery feature is good. But the layer
    can include apps that slow the laptop while promoting their business interests.

    Windows itself is still not customized by HP. Recovery is a built-in
    feature of Windows, just used by HP to provide their own tool for it.
    But you can always create your own recovery setup in Windows without any tools by HP.

    As I indicated in my earlier response, I think Carlos was referring to
    HP's 'Recovery Manager'. That is indeed not a customization of Windows *itself*, but is *not* using any "built-in [recovery] feature on
    Windows". HP's Recovery Manager can - amongst other functions - restore
    the system to from-factory condition, *including* all third party
    software, from a special reserved 'HP RECOVERY' partition.

    HP's Recovery Manager was on Windows 8.1 laptops (and desktops?), but,
    as I mentioned, no longer on Windows 11 laptops (well at least not on
    mine).

    And all pre-installed apps can be removed in Windows or you just install
    a "clean" version of Windows instead of the one provided by HP.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to Carlos E.R. on Sat Jan 4 14:59:48 2025
    Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On 2025-01-03 14:35, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On 2025-01-02 16:05, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    s|b <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On Wed, 1 Jan 2025 23:06:47 +0100, Arno Welzel wrote:

    It provides vanilla Android and not Android mixed with a manufacturer UI
    and modified functions.

    AKA It's not filled with crap from Samsung.

    *Every* manufacturer fills their devices with "crap", not just
    Samsung.

    Hum. No, some manufacturers don't "fill". They add less customization,
    like Motorola (Lenovo group). This way updates come faster.

    I said "fill", because it's the term 's|b' used. I don't consider my phones "filled with crap" or having too much customization.

    Samsung phones use to have older Android versions, and sometimes they
    don't update the phone to the next version after being sold. And that
    update comes several months later, because they have to add again their
    customization layer. And in the case of Samsung, it is big.

    As you said, that *used* to be the case, but is no longer the case for many years, at least 4+ years, but probably longer. My 4+ year old
    Samsung Galaxy A51 lower-range phone came with Android 10 and was
    updated to 11, 12 and finally 13.

    Probably because your phone is high end. AFAIK Samsung does this with
    only some models.

    As I said, see your quote of my text, mine (A51) is a lower-range
    (perhaps lower-end would be a better term) phone. It cost 230 Euros. The A-series is the low(er)-end. The S-series is the higher- to extreme-end.
    AFAIK, the update policy (i.e. number of years/versions) is now more or
    less equal over the whole product line.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to Arno Welzel on Sat Jan 4 15:48:28 2025
    Arno Welzel <[email protected]> wrote:
    Frank Slootweg, 2025-01-02 16:05:

    s|b <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On Wed, 1 Jan 2025 23:06:47 +0100, Arno Welzel wrote:

    It provides vanilla Android and not Android mixed with a manufacturer UI >>> and modified functions.

    AKA It's not filled with crap from Samsung.

    *Every* manufacturer fills their devices with "crap", not just
    Samsung.

    Only for Google phones, 'we' do not call it "crap", but "vanilla", "standard", "stock", etc..

    Because Android on Pixel devices *is* as Google developed it and not
    modified by Samsung or any other manufacturer.

    AFAIC, for Samsung phones, Android is not modified, but that depends
    on what you do (not) consider to be "Android". More on this later.

    Of course Google installs
    their own apps on it. But most of these apps can be removed or at least disabled.

    Same for Samsung (Google, Samsung and some third-party apps).

    The point is, that any feature provided by Android itself is not modifed
    as it is usually the case on devices by Samsung, Motorla, Xiaomi etc. - because those manufacturers want to provide a "unique" user experience
    by adding their own UI and their own *system* modifications to Android.

    Well, AFAICT/AFAIAC, for Samsung, the only 'modifications' are: Their
    own 'launcher' ('One UI'), which is not all that special/great and replacements/alternatives for some basic apps like Phone, Messages, My
    Files, of course Camera (like for Pixels) and probably simple stuff like Calendar, Calculator, Notes, etc..

    But, except for the launcher, I don't consider those modifications to *Android* (the 'OS'), but just different *apps*.

    That's what I meant: Samsung's et al Android versions are not all that special and neither are the Pixel versions.

    But they are *different* and therefor, as I mentioned, - when talking
    about their problems/questions - people should mention brand, model and
    Android version.

    Now do the same exercise for Windows and Chrome!

    What execercise? There is no Windows 10 or 11 which is modified by the manufacturer in the same way as Android on Smartphones. You only get a
    bunch of apps pre-installed in Windows - but things like Windows
    Explorer, Windows settings etc. will always look the same, the no matter
    what device you purchase with Windows. Also with Windows comes Edge as default browser, which is not the case for Android devices where you
    either get Chrome or Samsung Internet or Xiaomi Browser or whatever the manufacturer decided to provide.

    Well, that mainly *confirms* my point, because, at least for Samsung,
    it's exactly the same, with the exceptions of File Explorer (N.B. not
    "Windows Explorer", that's only the legacy process name) and Settings.
    Samsung indeed has a different 'file manager' than Google's [1], but it supplies Samsung Internet *and* (Google) Chrome.

    But indeed the differences in (Android) Settings are an annoying
    aspect, because in this group, it's often about detailed Settings
    settings. However, because the often huge differences in features, functionality, etc, etc., it probably is not practical to come up with a
    single Settings UI. And look at the settings mess in Windows, do we
    really such a 'standard' on Android!? :-)

    [1] At least on my 4+ year old phone. At the time, Google's wasn't all
    that red hot. No idea what's on new(er) Samsung phones.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From AJL@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Sat Jan 4 09:40:40 2025
    On 1/4/2025 7:59 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:

    Samsung phones use to have older Android versions, and sometimes
    they don't update the phone to the next version after being sold.
    And that update comes several months later, because they have to
    add again their customization layer. And in the case of Samsung, it
    is big.

    As you said, that *used* to be the case, but is no longer the case
    for many years, at least 4+ years, but probably longer. My 4+ year
    old Samsung Galaxy A51 lower-range phone came with Android 10 and
    was updated to 11, 12 and finally 13.

    My 5+ year old Samsung Galaxy S10+ is now at Android version 12. I don't remember what the version was when I bought it. It says it was last
    updated June 1, 2024. It gives me a big green check-mark in a circle
    that says "You're all set! Your phone has been updated to the latest
    software version." when I check for updates so guess it's still in the running...

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to AJL on Sat Jan 4 18:45:12 2025
    AJL <[email protected]> wrote:
    On 1/4/2025 7:59 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:

    Samsung phones use to have older Android versions, and sometimes
    they don't update the phone to the next version after being sold.
    And that update comes several months later, because they have to
    add again their customization layer. And in the case of Samsung, it
    is big.

    As you said, that *used* to be the case, but is no longer the case
    for many years, at least 4+ years, but probably longer. My 4+ year
    old Samsung Galaxy A51 lower-range phone came with Android 10 and
    was updated to 11, 12 and finally 13.

    My 5+ year old Samsung Galaxy S10+ is now at Android version 12. I don't remember what the version was when I bought it. It says it was last
    updated June 1, 2024. It gives me a big green check-mark in a circle
    that says "You're all set! Your phone has been updated to the latest
    software version." when I check for updates so guess it's still in the running...

    So it still gets updates, probably mostly security updates, but no
    Android version updates, otherwise it would be at Android 15 or at least
    14.

    So *when* are you going to toss that stone age phone of yours!? :-)

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From AJL@21:1/5 to AJL on Sat Jan 4 12:49:29 2025
    On 1/4/2025 12:21 PM, AJL wrote:
    On 1/4/25 11:45 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    AJL <[email protected]> wrote:

    My 5+ year old Samsung Galaxy S10+ is now at Android version 12.
    I don't remember what the version was when I bought it. It says
    it was last updated June 1, 2024. It gives me a big green
    check-mark in a circle that says "You're all set! Your phone has
    been updated to the latest software version." when I check for
    updates so guess it's still in the running...

    So it still gets updates, probably mostly security updates, but no
    Android version updates, otherwise it would be at Android 15 or
    at least 14.

    So *when* are you going to toss that stone age phone of yours!?
    :-)

    Probably when the battery fails. So far for my light use I haven't
    noticed any problems (knocks on wood).

    The Android version isn't a problem for me. I'm posting with an
    Amazon tablet that runs an Android fork at about version 9


    I just checked my last post's source and it appears I posted it with an
    Amazon Fire OS forked Android 11, not 9 as I said. Amazon was apparently
    sneaky in one of my recent Amazon tablet updates...


    and for my use it does just fine. I put the Google Play Store on it
    so run most of the same apps as my phone and other toys. It's
    actually one of my favorite tablets as it's light, comfortable to
    hold, has great resolution, and at the sale price of $75US was
    cheap...

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From AJL@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Sat Jan 4 19:21:28 2025
    On 1/4/25 11:45 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    AJL <[email protected]> wrote:

    My 5+ year old Samsung Galaxy S10+ is now at Android version 12. I don't
    remember what the version was when I bought it. It says it was last
    updated June 1, 2024. It gives me a big green check-mark in a circle
    that says "You're all set! Your phone has been updated to the latest
    software version." when I check for updates so guess it's still in the
    running...

    So it still gets updates, probably mostly security updates, but no
    Android version updates, otherwise it would be at Android 15 or at least
    14.

    So *when* are you going to toss that stone age phone of yours!? :-)

    Probably when the battery fails. So far for my light use I haven't noticed
    any problems (knocks on wood).

    The Android version isn't a problem for me. I'm posting with an Amazon
    tablet that runs an Android fork at about version 9 and for my use it does
    just fine. I put the Google Play Store on it so run most of the same apps
    as my phone and other toys. It's actually one of my favorite tablets as
    it's light, comfortable to hold, has great resolution, and at the sale
    price of $75US was cheap...

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to AJL on Sat Jan 4 20:43:00 2025
    AJL <[email protected]> wrote:
    On 1/4/25 11:45 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    [...]

    So *when* are you going to toss that stone age phone of yours!? :-)

    Probably when the battery fails. So far for my light use I haven't noticed
    any problems (knocks on wood).

    The Android version isn't a problem for me. I'm posting with an Amazon
    tablet that runs an Android fork at about version 9 and for my use it does
    just fine. I put the Google Play Store on it so run most of the same apps
    as my phone and other toys. It's actually one of my favorite tablets as
    it's light, comfortable to hold, has great resolution, and at the sale
    price of $75US was cheap...

    Bummer! So you don't have a real excuse to buy new toys, because the
    'old' ones still work and refuse to die. What did you do to deserve such hardship!?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From AJL@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Sat Jan 4 14:25:49 2025
    On 1/4/2025 1:43 PM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    AJL <[email protected]> wrote:

    The Android version isn't a problem for me. I'm posting with an
    Amazon tablet that runs an Android fork at about version 9 and for
    my use it does just fine. I put the Google Play Store on it so run
    most of the same apps as my phone and other toys. It's actually one
    of my favorite tablets as it's light, comfortable to hold, has
    great resolution, and at the sale price of $75US was cheap...

    Bummer! So you don't have a real excuse to buy new toys, because the
    'old' ones still work and refuse to die. What did you do to deserve
    such hardship!?

    Course I do. The old boring ones are gifted to the grand/greatgrandkids
    and I still get to get my new toys. Win-win...

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Sat Jan 4 23:22:00 2025
    On 2025-01-04 21:43, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    AJL <[email protected]> wrote:
    On 1/4/25 11:45 AM, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    [...]

    So *when* are you going to toss that stone age phone of yours!? :-)

    Probably when the battery fails. So far for my light use I haven't noticed >> any problems (knocks on wood).

    The Android version isn't a problem for me. I'm posting with an Amazon
    tablet that runs an Android fork at about version 9 and for my use it does >> just fine. I put the Google Play Store on it so run most of the same apps >> as my phone and other toys. It's actually one of my favorite tablets as
    it's light, comfortable to hold, has great resolution, and at the sale
    price of $75US was cheap...

    Bummer! So you don't have a real excuse to buy new toys, because the
    'old' ones still work and refuse to die. What did you do to deserve such hardship!?

    I have two identical tablets. One fell from the bed, the screen cracked, doesn't read the finger, so I bought another tablet. Then I tried to
    have the first one repaired; the shop said they could not, but that I
    would be able to use the tablet with a mouse (over BT). So I did. I use
    that old tablet in the sitting room to cast Amazon Prime videos to the
    Google dongle on my TV set (which is not smart).

    If I forget to activate the casting, the tablet tries to play the video
    in its screen, but it doesn't have enough power and it stutters badly.


    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Sat Jan 4 23:25:05 2025
    On 2025-01-04 16:10, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    Arno Welzel <[email protected]> wrote:
    Carlos E.R., 2025-01-02 21:43:
    On 2025-01-02 16:05, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    [...]
    Now do the same exercise for Windows and Chrome!

    Yes, some companies sell their laptops with a lot of customization. Say
    HP. This is not bad per se. The recovery feature is good. But the layer
    can include apps that slow the laptop while promoting their business
    interests.

    Windows itself is still not customized by HP. Recovery is a built-in
    feature of Windows, just used by HP to provide their own tool for it.
    But you can always create your own recovery setup in Windows without any
    tools by HP.

    As I indicated in my earlier response, I think Carlos was referring to HP's 'Recovery Manager'. That is indeed not a customization of Windows *itself*, but is *not* using any "built-in [recovery] feature on
    Windows". HP's Recovery Manager can - amongst other functions - restore
    the system to from-factory condition, *including* all third party
    software, from a special reserved 'HP RECOVERY' partition.

    Exactly. Actually, my laptop is a Compaq, which at the time was a second
    name of HP. The thing came with W7.

    It also had an HP tool to update the machine drivers and things, IIRC.


    HP's Recovery Manager was on Windows 8.1 laptops (and desktops?), but,
    as I mentioned, no longer on Windows 11 laptops (well at least not on
    mine).

    And all pre-installed apps can be removed in Windows or you just install
    a "clean" version of Windows instead of the one provided by HP.

    Yes, but then some of the hardware might not work properly.

    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to Carlos E.R. on Sun Jan 5 09:50:51 2025
    Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On 2025-01-04 16:10, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    [...]

    As I indicated in my earlier response, I think Carlos was referring to HP's 'Recovery Manager'. That is indeed not a customization of Windows *itself*, but is *not* using any "built-in [recovery] feature on
    Windows". HP's Recovery Manager can - amongst other functions - restore
    the system to from-factory condition, *including* all third party
    software, from a special reserved 'HP RECOVERY' partition.

    Exactly. Actually, my laptop is a Compaq, which at the time was a second
    name of HP. The thing came with W7.

    It also had an HP tool to update the machine drivers and things, IIRC.

    The tool was probably 'HP Support Assistant'. It still exists (i.e.
    also on my Windows 11 HP laptop). It also contains all kinds of testing
    and diagnostic tools. I someone use the 'HP Battery Check' part of it,
    because that really tests the battery, instead of just reporting the
    values from the battery's electronics.

    [...]

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Andy Burns@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Sun Jan 5 10:22:56 2025
    Frank Slootweg wrote:

    Arno Welzel wrote:

    Except the Google camera app I don't know any "Pixel only" app. And on
    my Pixel 6a I did not find any third-party software at all.

    Thanks. Strange, but if you say so, I accept it of course.

    The Pixel 8a/9/9pro phones all got android 15 at same time, but my 8a
    didn't get all the shiny new apps at the same time, play store either
    fails to find them, or claims they're not compatible.

    I was able to use APKmirror to install one of them which I wanted, the
    others are just AI bloat that I don't want, but I suspect in time
    they'll filter down to lesser devices, in the same way that
    circle-to-search did.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to Carlos E.R. on Sun Jan 5 10:36:06 2025
    Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
    [...]

    I have two identical tablets. One fell from the bed, the screen cracked, doesn't read the finger, so I bought another tablet. Then I tried to
    have the first one repaired; the shop said they could not, but that I
    would be able to use the tablet with a mouse (over BT). So I did. I use
    that old tablet in the sitting room to cast Amazon Prime videos to the
    Google dongle on my TV set (which is not smart).

    I had the same problem with my very first (Samsung 10.1") tablet. I
    used a wired mouse with a USB On-The-Go adapter to connect it to the
    MicroUSB port of the tablet. Later a 'computer' shop 'fixed' it. They
    could not find anything wrong with it, but apparently taking it apart, reseating all the connections and reassembling it, fixed it. Cost 25
    Euro. Not bad IMO. Ten years later, the tablet still works, but with
    Android 5 and little storage and RAM, it's not very useful.

    Fun tidbit: Recently I used it as a 'media center', mainly for
    streaming audio (Spotify, etc.) to my soundbar/subwoofer, but because it
    was mostly working badly, I turned off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in
    use (instead of powering it off). In this mode, the tablet used less
    than 1% battery capacity *per day* (including waking up the screen to
    check the percentage). Impressive! I don't think my current phone will
    manage that (with all its radios off).

    [...]

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Andy Burns@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Sun Jan 5 11:31:44 2025
    Frank Slootweg wrote:

    Carlos E.R. wrote:

    Samsung phones use to have older Android versions, and sometimes they
    don't update the phone to the next version after being sold. And that
    update comes several months later, because they have to add again their
    customization layer. And in the case of Samsung, it is big.

    As you said, that *used* to be the case, but is no longer the case for many years, at least 4+ years, but probably longer. My 4+ year old
    Samsung Galaxy A51 lower-range phone came with Android 10 and was
    updated to 11, 12 and finally 13.

    Isn't the reason for that improving due to introduction of Project
    Treble which allows the manufacturers to "slide in" newer versions of
    the lower layers of Android?

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Frank Slootweg@21:1/5 to Andy Burns on Sun Jan 5 13:10:09 2025
    Andy Burns <[email protected]> wrote:
    Frank Slootweg wrote:

    Carlos E.R. wrote:

    Samsung phones use to have older Android versions, and sometimes they
    don't update the phone to the next version after being sold. And that
    update comes several months later, because they have to add again their
    customization layer. And in the case of Samsung, it is big.

    As you said, that *used* to be the case, but is no longer the case for many years, at least 4+ years, but probably longer. My 4+ year old
    Samsung Galaxy A51 lower-range phone came with Android 10 and was
    updated to 11, 12 and finally 13.

    Isn't the reason for that improving due to introduction of Project
    Treble which allows the manufacturers to "slide in" newer versions of
    the lower layers of Android?

    Yes, while I do no longer get Android version updates (i.e. not 14 and
    15) from Samsung, I still get 'Google Play system update's from Google,
    which are what came/comes out of Project Treble and - as you mention -
    slides in newer versions of the lower layers of Android.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Sun Jan 5 15:32:04 2025
    On 2025-01-05 11:36, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
    [...]

    I have two identical tablets. One fell from the bed, the screen cracked,
    doesn't read the finger, so I bought another tablet. Then I tried to
    have the first one repaired; the shop said they could not, but that I
    would be able to use the tablet with a mouse (over BT). So I did. I use
    that old tablet in the sitting room to cast Amazon Prime videos to the
    Google dongle on my TV set (which is not smart).

    I had the same problem with my very first (Samsung 10.1") tablet. I
    used a wired mouse with a USB On-The-Go adapter to connect it to the
    MicroUSB port of the tablet. Later a 'computer' shop 'fixed' it. They
    could not find anything wrong with it, but apparently taking it apart, reseating all the connections and reassembling it, fixed it. Cost 25
    Euro. Not bad IMO. Ten years later, the tablet still works, but with
    Android 5 and little storage and RAM, it's not very useful.

    I use a BT mouse so that I can connect the single micro usb port to the charger. However, if the battery discharges and the thing powers down, I
    have to do a convoluted procedure.

    First charge the tablet completely.
    On boot up, the BT mouse doesn't pair and doesn't work.
    Thus connect a mouse with cable, and use it to toggle the tablet to pair
    again with the BT mouse. When I get both mice working, disconnect the
    cable, and connect the charger again.

    I have the charger connected to a mains timer, so that it is not powered
    24 hours, but only some hours. The tablet is on a metal stand from Ikea (HAVREHOJ) on the table. The thing is tall enough that the tablet is
    above the clutter on the table :-D

    https://www.ikea.com/es/es/p/havrehoj-soporte-tableta-40534576/

    Thus I can use it to control Amazon Prime Video app and cast movies to
    the sitting room TV set with a Google dongle :-)


    Fun tidbit: Recently I used it as a 'media center', mainly for
    streaming audio (Spotify, etc.) to my soundbar/subwoofer, but because it
    was mostly working badly, I turned off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when not in
    use (instead of powering it off). In this mode, the tablet used less
    than 1% battery capacity *per day* (including waking up the screen to
    check the percentage). Impressive! I don't think my current phone will
    manage that (with all its radios off).

    Indeed.

    Me, I have to be careful not to power off the BT, or I lose the mouse.


    [...]


    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Carlos E.R.@21:1/5 to Frank Slootweg on Sun Jan 5 15:38:44 2025
    On 2025-01-05 10:50, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    Carlos E.R. <[email protected]d> wrote:
    On 2025-01-04 16:10, Frank Slootweg wrote:
    [...]

    As I indicated in my earlier response, I think Carlos was referring to >>> HP's 'Recovery Manager'. That is indeed not a customization of Windows
    *itself*, but is *not* using any "built-in [recovery] feature on
    Windows". HP's Recovery Manager can - amongst other functions - restore
    the system to from-factory condition, *including* all third party
    software, from a special reserved 'HP RECOVERY' partition.

    Exactly. Actually, my laptop is a Compaq, which at the time was a second
    name of HP. The thing came with W7.

    It also had an HP tool to update the machine drivers and things, IIRC.

    The tool was probably 'HP Support Assistant'. It still exists (i.e.
    also on my Windows 11 HP laptop). It also contains all kinds of testing
    and diagnostic tools. I someone use the 'HP Battery Check' part of it, because that really tests the battery, instead of just reporting the
    values from the battery's electronics.

    [...]

    This laptop has double boot; I have not booted its Windows for years, it
    is permanently on an old version of openSUSE Linux because it is 32 bits
    and can not be updated. It sits permanently in front of a static
    elliptical exercise bike, and I use it to watch part of an episode from Montalbano serial as I exercise. No rebooot, just hibernation.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvo_Montalbano

    This Compaq laptop has very good internal speakers. The battery is dead,
    of the type that can be removed with a click.


    --
    Cheers, Carlos.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
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