Android 12 is trying to copy Apple’s walled garden — and that’s bad news
Android 12 is trying to copy Apple'southward walled garden — and that'due south bad news
Android 12 could be taking a leaf out of iOS' book with a recent conclusion to lock down a bones part of its UX.
As reported by XDA Developers, the share sheet - the little menu that pops upward with apps and contacts when you press the share button - looks as if it'due south losing customizability. Information technology's a small change that could reflect much bigger shifts in how Android works down the line, and ones that may evidence unpopular with its biggest fans.
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Currently, Android allows developers and device makers to customize the wait of the share sail when used inside their apps, and for users to download third-party share sheets to utilize instead. That stands in stark contrast to the iOS share sail, which looks and behaves identically no matter where you access it from.
For Android 12, even so, it looks like Google's no longer going to offer this freedom. When the developer of tertiary-political party share canvass Sharedr left a message on the IssueTracker for the Android Open Source Project complaining that his app didn't piece of work with Android 12, a Google representative replied to him proverb:
"We had never actually intended to allow apps to supersede the share dialog, that Intent is for apps to launch the share dialog. Existence able to replace the share dialog is also condign increasingly impossible — you couldn't implement the direct share function of the UI, nor the personal vs. work profile tabs in R, etc. This is merely not something that is feasible to allow apps to replace."
There are some unimpressed responses to this in the remainder of the thread, just the bottom line is that there'south no fashion effectually using Google's default share sheet in Android 12. Every bit XDA points out, however, it's not articulate whether this only applies to app developers, or if telephone-maker versions of Android, such equally Samsung's I UI or OnePlus' OxygenOS, will also exist barred from making these changes. Either way, unless Google actually shapes up the currently terrible and unreliable share menu, this could be a really annoying thing to lock down.
A bad omen?
Android has always been more open to user tinkering than iOS, thanks to its open up-source core. Fifty-fifty though the share sheet is only a small part of the whole Android feel, it could indicate the start of a big modify to affirm Google as the final authority on Android's behaviour, rather than the caretaker role it currently fills.
The tempting part of so-called "walled gardens" similar iOS and the Apple tree ecosystem is that it can lead to amazing user experiences where everything ties together logically, and software works in harmony with the hardware. Only what gets lost is user choice and freedom to alter things to their personal preference, particularly if they have the conviction and knowledge to alter things backside the scenes. If Android 12 is to follow in iOS' path, so it may mean good things for the average Android phone possessor, but not for its almost defended users.
Blocking third-political party developers is arguably bad enough, but if Google stops letting custom Android launchers making changes too, then this would exist a tragedy. The individual graphic symbol and feature sets of Android phone makers' takes on Android are of import parts of the phone-buying experience. Limiting this capability for Samsung, OnePlus et al. would prove very unpopular with long-time users of these brands' devices, who are used to a company's unique set of optimizations.
We've still got a few months until the stable version of Android 12 starts rolling out to devices, and so it'due south possible this story will develop more, or be joined by similar tales virtually other features. If this does mark the start of a trend, and without significant contest to offer a similar level of customizability, then Android developers and fans who currently enjoy the freedom to tinker will exist left with nowhere to go.
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Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/android-12-is-trying-to-copy-apples-walled-garden-and-thats-bad-news
Posted by: stephensbrabtleater.blogspot.com
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