SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
A pretty nice addition to [the third developer preview of the OS formerly known as Android M] is granular control over the permissions [which] each and every app requires upon installing it, giving Android users "meaningful choice of control". Just like in iOS, apps in Android 6.0 Marshmallow will only [allow] you to grant them a certain permission immediately before the app needs it and not in bulk during the installation, [as was the case] in previous Android installments.
[...] Android 6.0 Marshmallow officially introduces API Level 23, which is one of the requirements to have app permissions that can be granted on demand. All Android apps need to be updated [by their developers] so that they support the brand new API0 Level 23 libraries in order to introduce the individual granular app permissions.
SiliconANGLE notes that 6.0 is also getting native fingerprint support, a new power-saving mode, and Android Pay.
They also note
Hardly anyone with an existing Android phone will ever get to use [6.0].
[...] Android-powered devices rely on the manufacturer to update the operating system and the reality is that it rarely happens.
To put it more crudely, the Android update process is f**ked.
[...] [As Android remains open source and free to use,] Google can't force manufacturers to come to the party in terms of upgrades [any] more than it can force manufacturers to stop skinning their Android installs with their own custom user interfaces and software.
Release of Android 6.0 is expected in 2015Q4.
Original Submission
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Monday August 31 2015, @01:35PM
Am I the only one that finds it ironic that everybody had a shitfit when MSFT tried to force things on the OEMs or leveraged the OS to get IE share, but nobody seems to have a problem when Google does it and in fact encourages Google to do so?
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 1) by rigrig on Monday August 31 2015, @05:49PM
While I'm not happy with the situation either, this is different:
Google provides Android with no strings attached, (I'm currently running OmniROM, and they are under no obligation to e.g. include any specific browser.)
Google also provides a nice software package, which only comes as a package deal with lots and lots and lots of strings attached.
Manufacturers could (and have tried to) be less dependent on these Google apps for basic functionality by creating their own apps, but
1) People want to have the Play Store (e.g.: it's the only place I can download my banking app)
2) Including the Play Store means the manufacturer has to include the rest of the package, e.g. Maps
3) Most Google apps are quit nice, so it's pretty much impossible to come up with something perceived as 'better' by people that are already used to the Google versions.
4) Now including their own maps app just makes people complain about bloatware.
However, Google is moving more and more functionality from the core Android system into their app package.
This means that
a) Google can update this through their Play store, so people are less reliant on manufacturers for (security) updates
b) People trying to use custom Android ROMS without subscribing to Google won't get a bunch of features that most Android users do.
Although most of those features seem to require giving most of your data to Google to function properly anyway: It makes sense that Google would need access to my location, contacts and calendar to tell me when to leave to arrive in time for my next appointment.
Having to install a bunch of system apps just to be able to use their Play Store annoys me though, F-Droid works just fine as a regular apk.
No one remembers the singer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 31 2015, @07:29PM
True.
The only real leverage that Google has (as the biggest dog in the alliance) is the ability to forbid the use of the little green robot logo and use of the Android name for those who won't follow the rules.
To me it's like vendors who don't follow MSFT's requirements (Secure Boot^W^W Crippled Boot) and don't get to apply the official **Will Run Windoze** sticker to their whiteboxes.
-- gewg_