As an early adopter of almost anything tech-related, especially in the Android space, there are few things more frustrating than watching someone else get access to a new feature or update before you. Because part of being an early-adopter means you are willing to accept a bit of risk for a chance at the thrill of discovering or using something new, not being able to join in on that party is absolute hell. Unfortunately, this has been the story of Android, Google services, and Google Play for years.
To get a sense for what I’m talking about, I can point you to a couple of recent examples. One would be Google Maps and its infamous dark theme. We thought this was coming a year ago, then saw it start to rollout for some a few months ago, and only now has it been confirmed as arriving by Google. The thing is, Google told us that it was here a full two weeks ago, yet I still don’t have it.
Remember when we told you that Android TV was getting a new launcher experience with new tabs at the top to help you discover new content? We assumed the Android TV Launcher app would get an update to enable it, but it seems there is another factor in there – a server-side switch that flips a user over to the new UI. I don’t have this yet either and we first talked about it on February 3.
The same thing happened early this morning when Google told us that Pixel phones would now have access to heart and respiratory rate tracking through Google Fit, except as you can probably guess, I can’t do either of those things. I’m just assuming it’ll show up over the next several weeks through an update to Google Fit and Google flipping a switch somewhere that gives my account or phone access.
You get the point. This list could go on and on. You are all aware of staged rollouts and how frustrating they can be from an end-user standpoint (Yes, I’m well aware of the reasons that developers and Google use them and why they are a critical function.). You know the deflated feeling that comes with learning about a new software feature and then not being able to use it while your friend brags about how cool it is.
What’s so frustrating these days is you just have no idea when anything is coming at all. If Google tells us about a big new feature, you probably can’t get it without a combination of app update and server-side switch. That leaves you with zero control over when the new stuff might arrive. There has to be a better way to do all of this.
A couple of years ago, I had an idea for Google to let you check for Android app updates the way they let you check for Pixel phone system updates. The idea was basically a “Check for update” button on Google Play listings that would manually pull an available update even if it was a staged rollout. Because Google allows this on their Pixel phones now, where tapping that button flags the action as “user-initiated,” almost like you are opting-in and bypassing a rollout.
Should Google do this on Google Play for apps, I argued that it would both make the platform safer (stop everyone from hunting for app updates from APK hosts) and more fun, by letting users who knew about and wanted the new stuff to all enjoy it right away, together.
Back in the good ol’ days – apologies, but I’m allowed to say that this one time after doing this for 11+ years – we had a weekly reminder set for “Update Wednesdays,” because Google would use hump day to push out updates to several of its apps and then we’d all get updates at the same time and play with new goodies. It was fun as hell.
Now, you could be sitting here about to say, “Kellen, this doesn’t matter to 99% of Android users and Google will never change this system.” Yep, I get that. This post isn’t for them. This isn’t for the random user who opens Google Play once a month to find 65 updates available. This is for the Android lover, the DL community member, the tech blog bro, the 2009er Motorola Droider, and anyone else who sees us write up a post bragging about the new features coming to their phone only to go looking and come up empty.
I just want Google to bring back some of the spark we had in the early Android days. Let us play together again.
I was more excited about the G1 than anything from Google in the past 5-10 years.
I was surprised ???? to see the article, because it touches on a BIG problem in the Android ecosystem, and little (or none) is written on the subject ????. Exactly techno-journalists and specialized sites / blogs should wide publicity of the problem. I’ve been watching Google ????????♂️ closely for ~ 5 years and at the moment things are … weird, not to say bad ????. I doubt we can expect a change any time soon … ????.
Android is like a box of chocolates.
I had Google Maps dark theme for a good solid few months but then it randomly disappeared. has not come back yet :/
More Android sucks articles, my lord. Let me guess ios is perfect and never has any issues. Apple is made by the gods and transcends time and space. Blah blah. Sorry to inform you none of these systems will ever be perfect.
Does anyone really care about Google Fit? I mean, I sometimes look at it, but I don’t really care about it. While it’s the only app that syncs with my Omron blood pressure monitor, Fit is still basically useless.
The various Android OEM skins are understandable for differentiation. However, Google should standardize the core Android software features (e.g., Call Screening, Ambient Display etc etc) as opposed to having exclusive Pixel software features. Telcos should be prohibited from tampering with Android (like they are in the case of iOS), minus locking the phones (i.e. no Telco bloatware). All Android OEMS should have to update the Android OS on their phones for five years (w/ timely Android OS and Monthly Security updates). Should be a mandate that all new Android phones be released with the current version of Android.
To date, with camera quality, battery life and Android OS updates, yeah you really don’t know what you’ll get with Android.
Those items are all over the map because OEMs have different standards. Personally to date, I’m sticking with Samsung and/or the Google Pixel line.
No Android OEM has a flawless phone, but to date, Samsung is the GOAT when it comes to Android.
And this is why I made the switch to the Apple ecosystem late last year.
This entire article sums up my feelings with Android and Google!! Also, it is the reason why so many have jumped ship and went to Apple. At least with them you know what your getting and when.
QQ
I hope you have a lot of cheese to go with all that whining….
one of the reasons that make’s a pixel junk and also why sundar should be fired. too bizzy counting his billions to care
Pixel owners don’t seem to have this problem…
I suspect because we don’t have to go through the Gauntlet of Samsung approving and releasing an update only to have Verizon decide they need to add things to make a phone that can run on any carrier a Verizon Only phone and then lock the bootloader!
“…Google told us that Pixel phones would now have access to heart and respiratory rate tracking through Google Fit, except as you can probably guess, I can’t do either of those things.”
Pretty sure Kellen and Tim have Pixels around so, yes, Pixel owners DO have this problem. Maybe you don’t specifically but others do (like Kellen and myself).
Perhaps because they didn’t push the update yet?
Expecting to be able to do something that was ANNOUNCED as opposed to DISCOVERED by a media person is a bit impatient wouldn’t you say?
They probably also announced features for the next version of Android…Were you expecting that the day after as well?
The point of the announcement was to say you may no longer need to wear a watch to manage and view your fitness. And that is a good thing.
Google pushes out updates once a month. And when they release new features it ALWAYS comes to Pixel first provided the Pixel unit in question has the hardware required. This feature may require the latest Pixel 4 and 5 units. They are the units with the advanced Face Recognition cameras which is what I suspect they are using because it uses IR Signature to do what it does.
That would leave Pixel 2 and 3 out.
And I’m sure when the Pixel 6 is released it will have this feature right out of the box.
Apple’s products don’t do it either so I don’t really see why you would complain about an announcement of a feature you can’t get anywhere else at the moment.
I think you need to read the article again my dude.
Kellen didn’t say Google announced it that day and it wasn’t available 2 minutes later. The Google Fit features were announced in February and Google apparently TOLD Droid Life on March 8th, the day of the post, that the feature was NOW available. Except it wasn’t.
To quote Kellen: “The same thing happened early this morning when Google told us that Pixel phones would now have access to heart and respiratory rate tracking through Google Fit, except as you can probably guess, I can’t do either of those things. I’m just assuming it’ll show up over the next several weeks through an update to Google Fit and Google flipping a switch somewhere that gives my account or phone access.”
And yeah, it’s probably a staged rollout but again, you’re missing the entire point of the article. Nobody knows WHEN they will get the Google Fit features or anything else. Not you, not me, not Kellen, nobody.
And do you have a Pixel 5?
Mamma always said Android is like a box of chocolates.
This is the result of a platform that has matured.
See Windows, see MacOS. Hell iOS hasnt done shit besides copying Android features (and they are still behind in a lot of them).
Phones in particular have reached a level of “good enough” in hardware and software and at this point seems that all is left is to re-invent the wheel, so to speak.
All that said, I do have to agree that something seems off with Google.
After Pinchai took over, feels like they are imploding and that is really not a good thing.
Seems that what worked before, that made them big, is now working against them and they need to adapt.
they need to act as a mature corporation, not like the upstart dot com small company they were.
I understand where we want to say it’s an Android problem but more specifically it’s a Google problem, but I agree it’s tied to Android.
Google needs to stop playing around with this b******* AB server side crap, you have people that sign up for beta programs that don’t even have some of the features that rolled out to the mainstream.
Even back in the Nexus line, which is now the pixel line, the supposed theory is that we should get these items first, and so they tout it considering the announcement of the new features for fit.
But yet you’re exactly right you wait you wait you wait, people on a beta program for a program or app should get it first and they should just freaking release it enough said.
There is a secondary effect to this IMHO. And it’s that 1/2 the time I open an app I never know what options are there or what the hell is going on. Maps, I’m looking at you!
And if you happen to be “in tech” and want to help someone the interface varies based on where you are in the rollout. This happens to me and my wife all the time.
It’s the prime reason why my enterprise went with iOS. It has it’s flaws but at least everyone’s device is the same, with the same version, same options, and same supportability.
My brothers, girlfriend and myself all have Pixels. One day we were having an argument about Google maps. We all pulled out our phones and opened maps and all 4 of us had a different interface! No joke! It was unbelievable! Nobody won or lost the argument, either… We were all taking about different versions!
I was close to graduating highschool around the time the first Droid phones were hitting the market. I have spent the last decade of my life with this platform. The early days of android were fun. Phones were pretty easy to get unlocked, comparatively to unlocking locked bootloaders now, and easy enough to get a rom on. There was actually a purpose to flashing a rom, kernel, and some random optimization. There was actually a purpose to tweaking clock speeds, governors, kernel settings, etc. I used to make my phone purchasing decision based off whether the bootloader had been exploited and I could S-OFF/Unlock the phone. I was that person who looked at every app update excited to see what things had been added, changed, or fixed.
None of these things have been a single consideration since I got my Pixel 3 XL at launch. I would even argue it started when I got the OG Pixel at launch. The only reason I even flashed a ROM on the OG Pixel was because the replacement I got from Verizon arrived with ability to unlocked the bootloader in developer settings. If it wasn’t for that the last time I would have flashed a ROM was on my Nexus 6. I very rarely care or check the update of a particular app.
It’s kind of ironic that the things I wanted implemented as Android was growing are the exact things that have killed the joy of the platform for me.
Very nice write up Kellen, I’m one of the people who have been around since the droid and droid eris. I just don’t get excited anymore. I jump back and forth between iOS and Android and usually end up sticking with apple most times these days. You hit the nail on the head with this. I want Android to be fun again.
Couldn’t agree more! Just reading this morning about how Google Messages App now allows you to schedule texts, which should have been done ages ago! Great I think and go to try it on my Android 10 less than one year old phone! Not there yet. Check the Play Store for a Google Messages App update, nope none there for me yet! Probably will forget it is available by the time I ever get it! Oh and my flagship LG phone is supposed to get Android 11 but now LG Mobile is a mess so probably never going to get that update, that was promised, when I looked into future updates coming, before purchasing the LG phone! It’s enough to make you wish for an Apple phone! Wow cannot believe I said that! Sad Google just sad!
It’s to a point now where I know there is no telling when they will release. And if they do release to the masses I know I’ll never know if they are going to ‘flip the switch’ for me. I really don’t care any more. The ‘pizazz’ so to speak is gone. I will see a post on here and then get on whatsapp with my brother to let him know his Pixel is going to be getting a new feature…. sometime in the future. His response is usually something along the lines of I wont hold my breath.
I understand the frustration, but it’s coming off as a little entitled if you ask me. Just because we deem ourselves “early adopters” and sign up for beta programs, doesn’t mean Google has to give us what we want, when we want it. I think that’s the problem with the Android community. We have a sense of tech entitlement.
I wholeheartedly agree. Maybe Google doesn’t always want the feedback of the “early adopter” crowd. You’re not special.
I thought it was more cry-baby than entitled. But I can understand where he is coming from. I didn’t take it as being demanding as much as just saying hey… if you are going to tell us you are going to release something… then release it.
Well…one of its problems.
The problem is, the only other options are ios and KaiOS.
Regardless of this article, the truth is that android is still way ahead of ios, to the disdain of the cult members.
Plus, its more flexible and open.
Its perfect? No, hell no.
Something really bad is eating google from the inside and it will be a very bad day if they simply implode.
All that said, if Epic gets the courts to force apple to open up ios and i cant install whatever i want without tim cooks left ball blessings, i will jump.
Meanwhile, android is still the best option.
Edit i see, only pro apple comments and only android is boring comments are allowed.
Still the best option – for you. Fixed that for ya… 🙂
Moot point imo. Phones these days do more than we’ll ever take full advantage of. Go with whatever you want really.
I’ve had the dark mode on Google maps for the last two plus months but I’m an extensive Google user of different services and probably provide a lot of data for them which is probably why I was server-side switched on this feature pretty early
Still waiting on being able to text from my TV the way the first Google Assist commercial said I would be able too. I cant even sent text through my Google Max. I was able to change channels as well turn on and off my Sony TV with the Google Max however after being able to do it for several months it stopped about a year ago.
I have a Sony tv I turn on and off with my google home. Have been on iPhone for 2 years, got the Samsung s21 ultra and after setting it up, I could no longer turn off my tv. Ended up returning the phone, once I reset that phone and signed back into google accounts on iPhone my tv now works with google home again. No idea if it’s just a really odd timed coincidence or if it was something with the android phone, my google account and the home.
Google photos was always slow loading on my s21 yet it’s always loaded and scrollable on iPhone. No idea why this is a thing either. Waiting for things to be updated or fixed feels futile. I was not receiving my gmail notifications on time either, just like my samsung from 3 years ago, don’t remember if my pixel had that problem but there has been plenty of time to fix the issue.
Slow rollouts are the worst STILL
I hate complainers
i like getting app updates early. I have a few apps that help me do that: apkgrabber, apkupdater, aurora app store, aptoide, 4pda apps & games, & mobilism. I use adaway to block any ads that might popup otherwise. That’s the cool thing about android, you can natively sideload apps. If you’re the 99%, you don’t care, if you’re the 1% like me then it’s fun. Everyone can pick for themselves. This post seems to say I want all this cool stuff without putting in the work of getting it. Putting in the work *is* the fun part. Like people that enjoy home improvement, or modifying their cars.
Google isn’t the only one doing this, Facebook did it too recently with its dark mode (on both PC and mobile) and avatar creation.
I remember when the avatar feature launched, all my friends were doing their own avatars and sharing them but I just didn’t had them because it was a server side update, to this day I still don’t have them. Dark mode was exactly the same, I only got it like 2 months after everyone already had it
Software developers, stop using your users as beta testers, if you have this update, that has been properly tested by your staff and it works fine, then launch it for everyone.
I’m afraid what you want, Kellen, is a pipe dream. I think a part of the issue is those of us that ‘grew up’ in the early days of Android are just done messing with it all. Rooting / romming is no longer as big of a deal (or necessary). Getting new devices all of the time is expensive and impractical (unless you run a blog reviewing devices!). As we’ve aged and hit new life stages, our phones have been relegated (elevated?) to become tools more than the toys they once were. This isn’t meant to be a blanket generalization, but it is a trend for sure.
That trend also contributes to why there is a general shift to iOS.
Bingo.
This post makes me sad
The problem with Android is Google. The early days of Android and Google were great but as Google matured I no longer feel like ‘Google has my back.’ This growing doubt about Google extends beyond Android. For example, Google Fi sounds great but I worry it will be dropped/cancelled like so many other Google projects and services. I also worry that prices will double in two years like they did for Youtube TV or why Google can barely produce two functional Pixel phones a year. Why do I need to purchase an iPad because Google just gave up on Android for tablets. Finally, the way they fire staff who voice their concerns with an iron fist is atrocious. After 10+ years of Android I’m getting closer to buying my first iPhone, please don’t make me do this.
There’s a lot of truth in what you state!
Google does have a track record of being like a kid and dropping things they have grown uninterested in.
It’s part of the reason I switched to iPhone. If I want boring, at least give me good boring. My apps update so seamlessly, I don’t even know it’s happening most of the time.
Same here, I’m switching as soon as I can justify it. The only thing keeping me here is price, and the fact that my old phone still works and I like to use things until they die. I had an iPod Touch 6G, and I enjoyed using it more than I’ve ever enjoyed any Android device, whether it be an Android flagship (bought 4-6 months after release for 60% off) or the cheapest Moto, or anything in between. And it didn’t even have cell service. Picking Android over iOS used to be like picking BMW over Lexus, it was more fun and looked cooler even though you had to fuss with it more. Now it’s like picking Infiniti over Lexus, a cheap knockoff that does all the same things worse and choppier. Samsung’s best OneUI tweaks can’t hide the previous-gen rental Altima with all its creaks, rattles, greasy plastic, dated tech, and CVT that will blow up at 60,001 miles underneath.
The app ecosystem is a problem too: Android apps are all over the place, every permutation of every UI convention from the past 13 years. Some are unusably ad-laden, some are slow on fast phones, some don’t even look like anything else because the developer wanted to emulate the look of Winamp from 2003 for their notetaking app or some shit. Apple’s human-driven app review process is much stricter, you need a very good reason to deviate from any iOS best practices, and developers are forced to restrict resouce usage so you don’t need the latest GPU and 1.5GB of your internal memory to run a puzzle game. With Apple, the whole thing feels like a cohesive system. You need the help of Xposed modules, which will soon be impossible to use if you have a bank account because of hardware-level SafetyNet validation, which take days to set up and require constant tweaking to deal with app updates, to have something similar on Android.
Where’s your blog? I’d read it.
Things Google can do to make Android great again:
1) sell the rights to Android OS to a transparent company that doesn’t sell ads;
2) all monthly security patches and/or OS updates/incrementals get published in the Play Store;
3) Android OS is accompanied by an official apk that lists all versions for download (a formal repo);
4) each Android OS version is compatible with ALL OEM devices (skins/UI are released afterwards);
5) all OEMs/carriers publish their skin on top of Android OS via the Play Store;
6) require monthly Android OS security patches to promote frequent cache clearing in recovery; and
7) Google invest in Small Business/Small Disadvantage Business to promote new OEMs in the Android handset market to promote competition and innovation.
I agree with everything in this article and as Kellen mentions in the comments here, Google can easily fix almost all of our complaints. They really need someone to be in charge of their consumer facing products and take ownership in a way that is definitely not happening now. Killing products we use all the time does not buy you any consumer Goodwill either. If Sundar isn’t going to go, then put an actual real invested person in this role and delegate like a good manager. Unfortunately, Google doesn’t make the big money from a lot of this consumer facing stuff that we use, but it’s certainly an important part of their brand and ecosystem and it needs to be managed better.
Also, I’m really waiting on scheduled send in Messages, I’ve been checking on it everyday since I first read about it coming and I could have used it about a dozen times in the last few days alone!
Yep just checked today and still not there.!
This is really strange. I am in Eastern Europe and have had this function for ~ two months ????.
New features are great. I’m more happy with stability. My days of rooting, ROMs, everything constantly shifting are behind me. I’ll take reliability and everything else I just replace the parts that aren’t making me happy. When Google bumped their heads and made Gmail ugly and blinding white, I replaced the Gmail app. Paid a few bucks, had a true dark mode and moved on with life. When Google finally caught up, I checked out the Gmail app again.
Truth is that when there ARE updates I tend to wait because they often break things, reduce functionality or make stupid changes for the sake of change. Call it getting old, but I’ll let everyone else be the beta testers. I just need my ish to work the way I want it to. My days of chasing updates are over. It’s actually made me enjoy my phone even more than I used to.
New features are great. I’m more happy with stability. My days of rooting, ROMs, everything constantly shifting are behind me. I’ll take reliability and everything else I just replace the parts that aren’t making me happy. When Google bumped their heads and made Gmail ugly and blinding white, I replaced the Gmail app. Paid a few bucks, had a true dark mode and moved on with life. When Google finally caught up, I checked out the Gmail app again.
Truth is that when there ARE updates I tend to wait because they often break things, reduce functionality or make stupid changes for the sake of change. Call it getting old, but I’ll let everyone else be the beta testers. I just need my ish to work the way I want it to. My days of chasing updates are over. It’s actually made me enjoy my phone even more than I used to.
That’s why Google has become an absolute Kill Joy. It’s not fun looking forward to new features when you have NO IDEA when it’s showing up. It kills the comrarderie between Android users because you can’t even be excited about the same feature at the same time.
Random ” Server Side Updates” have killed all excitement in the Google ecosystem
I miss the early days when it seemed like a new phone was being released every other week. Debating if I wanted to switch carriers to get the Motorola Atrix on AT&T or go to Sprint for the HTC EVO 4G.
We need someone besides Google to step up in some cool apps
Yeah that’s a big part of the issue, is Google makes the apps we all use. Other developers might be better about letting us have the goods earlier.
Thing is, when cool apps arrive on the scene, Google or other tech giants buy them up. Waze is a prime example.
I’m not so sure that they’re being bought up as much as they’re being sold. There is a difference. The developers of apps are putting their product on the market and selling to the highest bidder. It’s difficult to blame them when they can get rich quick.
I agree — it’s lucrative! But it does come at the expense of having much competition to begin with. Then the side issue becomes: the purchasing company usually absorbs and terminates the availability of that product/service. Fortunately for the likes of Waze, Instagram, and WhatsApp — they’re all available still, and offer unique experiences, but they suffer from the legal and bureaucratic policies that come bundled being part of the Tech Giant.
Google makes it very hard for competition because they will either kill a new project as big as they are or buy it out,,,so no competition.
That’s bull. There are lots of great apps out there. Relay for Reddit, Bring! shopping list, Baby Daybook, just to name a few. Solid Explorer is mostly in maintenance mode, sadly, but the interface is pretty much perfect. Omnia music player has finally got it right with how it deals with songs that have multiple artists. The problem isn’t that there are no good apps, it’s that we’ve just gotten used to everything, because most problems have been solved.
A lot of the joy is gone from this platform. I’ve stopped evangelizing for Android now; it’s just not worth it anymore
This times a thousand. It’s just a phone. People evangelizing for a phone is just sad.
Same.
1. I used to read changelogs of every app update (both google and 3rd party) before updating them. Now that almost all of them are “not provided by developer” or same bs “with every update, we bring improvements”, it’s pointless.
2. No point in reading any of Google’s “coming soon” features, because by the time they’ll come to me, I’ll forget about them. And they will remove those feature in future anyway.
And there are simple ways for Google to bring it back. Wish they would. I know it’s a massive platform with billions of users, but man, I miss the fun.
Nothing will ever replace the early days of Android OS. I remember the anticipation for Jelly Bean and Kit Kat. Flashing roms and rooting was so much fun.
Exactly, I remember when we would get groundbreaking features in updates,,,now it is just the same shit just re-skinned and re-themed.