I mostly use apps installed from F-Droid, so I’m not sure how I’ll use the phone, except that it’s sometimes required as a contact method.

  • 17lifers@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    0·
    26 days ago

    install them with adb. its a crucial feature for developers, so they won’t easily get rid of it.

    • tisktisk@piefed.socialEnglish
      0·
      26 days ago

      Is this manageable for the non-dev by chance? I can get by on a tutorial or too but if enough things break I’m feeling a dumbphone alt may be the only viable path

      • Kraiden@piefed.socialEnglish
        0·
        26 days ago

        Depends on your comfort with CLI tools. Here’s the process (assumes Windows):

        1. Download and extract platform tools
        2. Add that location to your PATH
        • Win + R, type “cmd”, enter
        • set PATH=%PATH%;C:\your\path\here\ <- Temporary, just for the current session
        • setx /M path "%path%;C:\your\path\here\" <- Permanent

        1. On your device, go to Settings -> About and look for Build Number it can sometimes be buried in Software Information

        2. Tap Build Number repeatedly until a message appears You are now a developer

        3. You should now have a new Developer options menu item somewhere in your settings. Sometimes it’s top level, sometimes it’s buried under Additional Settings or Advanced Settings or the like

        4. Make sure USB Debugging is turned on

        5. Connect the device over USB

        6. Back on WIndows type:

        • adb devices
        • You might get a popup on the device asking if you want to allow USB debugging. Select Yes, and run adb devices again. You should see your device listed
        1. Download the APK of the app you want to install (AAB files are a PITA, but can be installed too. Try to get APK files though)
        2. Install with:
        • adb install C:/path/to/app.apk <- if adb devices only returns one device
        • adb -s <device_id> install C:/path/to/app.apk <- specific device

        You can install updates the same way, just download the updated APK and add the -r flag adb install -r C:/path/to/app.apk

        More useful adb commands

  • Hemingways_Shotgun@lemmy.caEnglish
    0·
    25 days ago

    I feel embarassed to say this as someone who is fairly techy, but I’m a little confused by the whole brouhaha.

    Is Google making changes to Android, or to AOSP?

    If Google is making changes to the Android fork they put on their own phones, then fuck 'em. Use Graphene. Use e/OS/, use Lineage…use something that forks their own branch of AOSP and Google can pound sand because those forks are in no way obligated to make the same changes as Google. AOSP is open source for that very reason.

    If Google is making those changes to AOSP itself, which means that anyone who uses AOSP as a base have those changes by default, then isn’t Google obligated to keep those changes as Open Source, in which case anyone else who uses AOSP can just remove them from their own fork?

    Someone explain like I’m a particularly dim five-year-old, please.