cross-posted from: https://lemdro.id/post/2747324 (!samsung@lemdro.id)
As of today, Samsung is rolling out Android 14 to the Galaxy S23, S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra in regions including the UK and portions of Europe, such as France, Germany, Belgium, Finland, Poland, Portugal, Romania, and Spain. The update weighs in at 350mb for users who are updating from the latest beta to the stable update, but for those coming directly from One UI 5.1, it’s an update of over 3GB.
The app recommendations on setup don’t bother me personally, as I skip that altogether along with a number of the Google apps. I consider this very different from coming pre-installed (TikTok has never been pre-installed on my international S21 Ultra nor Canadian S23 Ultra purchased from Samsung).
As for Dex, I don’t often use it but do on occasion. My work setup is based around a USB-C dock (which I have at the office, home office, and living room TV) and it drops into that perfectly without setup or delay. I considered it a gimmick before my current device. I found it too slow on the S21 Ultra but very smooth on the S23 Ultra. I’ll likely be switching over to a Pixel once a Dex equivalent comes to AOSP (assuming the artificial block on USB-C DisplayPort Alt mode gets lifted without root).
But that’s all an aside - whether the features are useful to you or not is based on personal need (I could live without the Knox nonsense given it’s a personal device), but it does mean it may warrant additional time in beta for bug testing. Being fast is good for security updates, but the same isn’t necessarily the case for feature updates.
TikTok was/is in the recommendations, but you can’t remove it. They will force you to install it at all costs. IMO this is fucking ridiculous.
Sorry, missed this reply while editing mine but thankfully this wasn’t the case for my Canadian S23 Ultra (purchased from Samsung). I agree though, it’d be ridiculous in whichever markets it’s taking place - but I think it’s unrelated to the time spent in beta.
My old Note 8 came with things like Facebook added as system apps. It was quite frustrating but things have since improved (at least where I am).
That’s good.
But after using GrapheneOS for almost a year, I will probably never use any other mobile OS. I don’t have to bother with preinstalled bloatware like Facebook or TikTok as well as spyware like Google Play services that I can’t remove. It’s also probably the most secure and private mobile OS available right now. It gives me back all control over my device and my digital life, it’s just awesome. It’s kinda like Linux in the sense that it empowers users to take back control over their systems, but it’s super easy to use, it’s basically Android without the crap and with improved privacy and security. You can use Google Play services if you want to, but they don’t run with elevated privileges, you can revoke any permissions (including network access) and uninstall them anytime you want to.