silent_squirrel

Yes, afaik LineageOS shouldn't be locked, but I was talking about GrapheneOS specifically because @[email protected] was talking about that.

You can lock the bootloader again after the flashing process is done(because it will add the signing key of the new OS), but unfortunately the NFC Payments in Google Pay still won't work because Google only allows it on 'certified' Android systems (aka only the preinstalled OS)

It was possible to download lossless FLAC files (they got them straight from Deezer) though, so higher quality than anything downloaded from Youtube etc.

When the 7a launched the regular 7 was almost the same price already, so the gap is actually bigger than last year. But I guess they'll just make the upcoming Pixel 9 more expensive as well to restore the gap again.

Thankfully the eu will mandate common sense starting in next year's devices... So replaceable batteries are back!

Thats not correct. The law only applies from 2027, and there are exceptions for smartphones and tablets.

Basically it doesn't need to be user replaceable if the battery is rated for at least 83% capacity after 500 charging cycles and at least 80% capacity after 1000 charging cycles.

Doesn't this affect Signal too? There is a setting under "Privacy -> Advanced" called "Always relay calls", which routes calls through Signal servers to prevent IP leaks (and can decrease call quality)... This setting is disabled by default

I've had a similar issue with a different app before, it was caused by the Play Store (which also lead to automatic updates not working for a while). I fixed it by Force-Stopping the Play Store and relaunching it again.

Disclaimer: I'm using a custom ROM where the Google stuff is sandboxed (GrapheneOS), maybe the bug doesn't occur on Stock Android.

Personally I wouldn't mind a few preinstalled apps, if they can actually be uninstalled, not just disabled which seems to be the case for some.

But the "Meta Services" thing seems shady af, its not showing up in the app drawer because its just a background service most people don't even know it exists. Its also not needed, because all of the Meta apps work just fine without it. So realistically Meta just pays Samsung a lot of money for something that only has the purpose to collect a lot of user data (it can also access more data than regular apps because it's installed as an system app)

There is still a lot of stuff preinstalled which could be considered unwanted by a lot of people (TikTok, Netflix, Spofify, multiple MS apps, Disney+, Facebook, Meta Services, ...)