Especially Firefox Nightly and kiwi browser run full desktop extensions. There might be others but those are the only two I know for sure that I can get to work.

Kiwi browser is the only one that I can reliably use the bypass paywall extension that gets me through the financial times of the Wall Street journal or basically any payw.

Yeah those are all huge. Camera app is pretty good important too.

I was trying to think of stuff beyond system apps but point taken

My honorable mentions are revanced, Google keep (The easiest way to have my notes sync up as I use a bunch of different phones and tablets), newpipe, musicolet…

To me it’s still Nova. Ever since they were bought out I’ve been trying to find a replacement but nothing seems to match it feature for feature. Especially on Samsung or LG phones, I’m using Nova constantly.

I just developed a muscle memory to be able to swipe down or up on any app to trigger a specific task. It allows me to really keep my home screen clean.

I’ve turned off automatic updates to try to limit branches intrusiveness but I’m eventually going to have to move on.

After that kiwi browser or Firefox Nightly. I need at least one of those. Those are the only browsers that allowed desktop extensions.

I guess I would choose with Firefox Nightly as it gets updated much more frequently and isn’t chromium.

I used to like internet by Samsung but the lack ublock became a deal breaker. In particular kiwi and Firefox nightly support desktop extension so I could use sponsor block, bypass paywall, privacy redirect, old Reddit redirect… But the Samsung Internet had the best dark mode. And it has the most minimalist looking widget which works on almost any aesthetic.

I wish Firefox would offer a widget that just had a little black clear bar with a microphone that I couldn’t use on half of a grid like the Samsung widget.

Musicolet has been a real eye-opening experience. It sinks up to recently downloaded music so easily. It’s become my go-to for offline music. Works great in combination with new pipe which lets you download the audio version of any video

Oh s*** If launchers count I need to edit my list. Nova launcher is still my most used app. I am looking for a decent alternative since the branch analytics approaches though.

I have 247 apps on the phone I’m using now. It varies a bit though because I use different phones and I swap my sim around. Include system apps so I don’t know maybe 200 or something.

I would imagine the 10 I used the most not including system apps are:

*Firefox nightly *Kiwi browser

(these are the only two browsers are among the only aware of that use desktop extensions like sponsoblock, bypass paywall etc…)

• Revanced YouTube
• YouTube music revanced
• Newpipe x sponsorblock
• Musicolet
• Antenna pod
• Fire TV app (to use as a remote control)
• Shortcut maker
• Nova launcher (looking for a replacement and updates are turned off since branch analytics purchase)

*Infinity for Reddit (RIP)

• Keep notes for voice notes.

On this topic I wish there was a definitive place to find Android games that have controller support. No microtransactions… I will have to download and try again first and then 90% of the time it doesn’t meet my criteria for playable.

I mean there’s a subreddit for gaming and then there’s a subreddit for console gaming and a subreddit for patient gaming and a subreddit for video games in the subreddit for PlayStation etc…

I understand a little confusion but if anything only having one subreddit for Android was a problem to begin with. And places like Android apps or Android gaming we’re probably a little too specialized

Huzzah

I quit like 6 months before Elon musk ever even mentioned buying Twitter. This is all pretty hilarious for me. Although I did occasionally poke my head in using a front end open source alternative like fritter or nitter or you don’t need to log in.

But those haven’t been working either because of the latest s***

First of all, they getting all of our data which they can then sell to advertisers. Secondly even if we pay $15 a month for ad free experience, literally 60% of the remaining content is still sponsored videos or videos with endless self-promotion.

Chrome is also depends on ad revenue and yet Google has not only sanctioned to ad blockers but openly promoted them at times.

The idea that YouTube cannot function because tech-savvy enthusiasts are blocking ads is quite ridiculous.

Huge if true. According to that article it’s strongly suggest it will be a proper desktop mode via USB-C not just casting. Obviously Motorola has a great desktop mode with ready for, but on the razor they’re living it to Miracast.

Nervous that Google might try that because of their casting prowess but the details in that article suggest it would be a proper display port desktop mode.

Still have my v60 and Pixel 6 pro so I’m not going to upgrade this year but I’m very serious to look at getting a pixel 8 or 8 pro a year after it’s released when it’s 50 cents on the dollar on eBay.

Probably get a pixel 8 for $200 the day the Pixel 9 comes out.

I would have got a Pixel 7 this year but waiting another year for a desktop mode would be a big deal for me.

Especially since my v60 and tab S7 are nearing their end of life

Happened like a year ago or something. If you go look at the ratings on the Play store by recent a lot of people were upset. I still use Nova but I haven’t updated it to the new branch version of the APK. I’m sure eventually I’ll have to find a new launcher

Yeah I just turned off automatic updates on Nova the minute I found out about branch. I’m just going to stick with the pre-branch version of the app until it doesn’t function anymore or I find a suitable replacement.

But you’re right, a lot of the alternatives aren’t all that much better in terms of their privacy policy. Being owned by a shady data company… It’s absolutely discouraging. Obviously something like Microsoft launcher probably isn’t that much better in terms of privacy of course.

Yeah ever since that happened I turned off automatic updates and have been sticking with the pre-branch APK. So far no issues but I will probably eventually have to pivot away from it.

But I struggle to find stuff that has every feature I need. Nova lets me customize a swipe up and a swipe down on each icon. For instance if I swipe up on kiwi browser it automatically opens the YouTube music browser and if I swipe down on it regular YouTube browser.

It allows me to get three times as much usage out of my icons on the front screen and keep it much more minimal.

Alternatives usually only have one swipe option if that.

But I’ll keep trying. Like a half dozen launchers downloaded right now but every time I switch I miss something about Nova and end up going back.

Especially on my LG and Samsung devices. Crazy about these stock software on those with phones. I’m using a pixel I’d be more inclined to stick with the stock software. Although I would still probably download zone launcher or floating bar to control my remote control and the flashlight

Trying to pivot to an alternative since Nova was sold but I just can’t find anything that matches it feature for feature. Like Niagara but not something I want to use always. I just really depend on the app swiping functionality on Nova and the customizable gestures like double tap to prompt my remote.

But there is a cool launch aUG. lets you swipe a letter of an alphabet with a stylus or your finger and all your apps with that letter pop up. If it had landscape mode support and search function in the app drawer I would use it a lot more

Yeah I still have my Pixel 4a as the secondary device and I can actually fit it in my front pocket on one of my sweatshirts with a little zipper. End of life is August though, so I don’t know what I’m going to replace it with

I’ll keep using it probably for a year or whatever but eventually I’ll need to replace it and it’s just hard to find anything that smaller light. Maybe by then the Motorola razr will be cheaper on the resale market or something.

Yeah it’s just crazy that you have to always keep them around. I own a qudelik 5k And I have a couple cheap adapters that came with tablets or something but I never remember to have them on me.

Maybe if you have a wallet case you could kind of stick it in there but otherwise they’re just too easy to lose.