The Xiaomi Android One line-up was unlockable without any hassle, but is long time discontinued. I used to use the Mi A2 lite as my main phone and you could just unlock it yourself offline. Only thing blocking you from doing it was the OEM unlocking toggle in developer settings. I still have the phone and it is running Android 14 like a charm.

RCS is an open standard, but Google’s implementation of it isn’t AFAIK. That’s why there exist no 3rd party RCS client outside of those praised by Google.

I don’t understand why the control panel UI wasn’t modernized instead? Would that really be unfeasible? I think it still might have been less work than to maintain 2 coexistent “settings/control panel” apps and migrate from one to another. Sometimes you have to throw out the old code base and start from scratch. But if you do so shouldn’t you rather distrubute the result when your finished and not in a half-baked compromise-like state?

I don’t understand why the control panel UI wasn’t modernized instead? Would that really be unfeasible? I think it still might have been less work than to maintain 2 coexistent “settings/control panel” apps and migrate from one to another. Sometimes you have to throw out the old code base and start from scratch. But if you do so shouldn’t you rather distrubute the result when your finished and not in a half-baked compromise-like state?

Lawnchair 2 is no longer under development. The development team always starts to develop a new launcher based on the latest stock launcher every time a new Android version is released (so basically every year). This way the app usually never gets past the alpha or beta builds till they already move on to start from scratch. I don’t understand their strategy.

I use Google Lens and I also have to keep Google app installed. I agree it’s annoying that they just can’t make the apps work standalone. There already is a package that nearly all Google apps dependend on. The package is Google Play Services. Why can’t they implement this into Google Play Services as they do with all the other stuff (quick share, find my phone, location services etc…)?

Did you flash a custom ROM? Maybe it will work with a custom ROM.

EDIT: Your phone uses Mediatek processor, so it’s not going to be well supported. I recommend you to stick to locked bootloader and just live with the phone as it is.

https://topjohnwu.github.io/Magisk/install.html

Did you unlock your bootloader? Some apps just scan for Google Play SafetyNet or in some other way to check whether you unlocked your bootloader or rooted and if they think you do they will vaguely state you are rooted.

Other’s concern about your phone being infected are justified and I recommend you to try whether a dedicated root checking app thinks your phone is rooted. These usually don’t lie.

Regarding your rooting situation I always rooted the lazy way. Renamed magisk.apk to magisk.zip, flashed it and it always worked for me. But I rooted only 2 phones in my life really and this is not the recommended method by magisk developer.

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It is not only ironic but pathetic. They promote it as the new open standard and people who just don’t look further into the details believe it.

KOReader. The app is multiplatform (also for some e-readers and Linux) so the UI is not among the most beautiful (but I actually prefer it over Librera), but it’s feature packed, and does really well what it’s made for.

I am sorry. I went to a little rant, but I meant it rather funny even though I realize it feels aggressive 🤣. I am just enthusiastic about this topic even though I don’t know that much.

You can with some tinkering. You can uninstall the default launcher with ADB shell and some Android TV show select launcher options when more than 1 is installed.

It’s very fine unless you decide you just must and have to convert that audio to MP3 (the audio loses quality with every lossy compression), because you are an old boomer and other formats scare you even though almost all modern device can play OPUS or at least M4A or you are one of those people who call themselves “Audiophiles” to feel more special, but wouldn’t recognize a shit if I played OPUS 192kbps on their 2000$ home audio setup instead of the 24 bit uncompressed FLAC that has over 30MB in size each. I have most of my library from YT Music which is ~128kbps OPUS and it has been transparent on all audio devices I have played it till now.

That’s how one spends time with his kids!

I am not sure if it’s only me, but I have noticed much faster Wi-Fi connecting after enabling Wi-Fi on Android 14, so that’s one thing. But it may be also caused by kernel update and has nothing to do with Android 14.

Some probably use an API of some sort, because SmartTube for Android TV even synchronises your watch history, subscriptions, you login with your google account etc…

because they are the only devices on the market that allow locking the bootloader after installation

AFAIK on Xiaomi Mi A2 lite if I flash back the stock fastboot ROM (I had it do it once because I crippled the partition images (this phone is A/B partition device)) it locks your bootloader and you have to unlock it again. I don’t know if this applyes to MIUI/Hyper OS phones too, because Mi A2 Lite uses near to stock Android.

I don’t understand. So if I only lock my phone (turn the screen off) without rebooting it, it is not fully encrypted (considering that the device storage encryption is enabled)?