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Google's response to Android apps getting delayed or killed in the background leaves a lot to be desired
The company can and should do more for developers
Google's Android AMA is underway, and the team's engineers have already answered the most hotly-anticipated question: How will Google fix the problem of inconsistent background limits across different manufacturers and devices? It's a long-standing problem where overly aggressive power management tweaks break functionality in plenty of apps, resulting in a headache for developers and frustration for users. According to the AMA, Google does plan on making a few changes to help fix things, but the company isn't doing all that it could.
Google will answer developers' burning questions about Android 11 on July 9
The Reddit AMA will start on July 9th at 12PM PST
Android 11 isn't a boring update, especially when it comes to under-the-hood changes. Scoped Storage for limiting access to internal files will be enforced, a new 'Block Store' API will make logins easier, and apps will get to use bubble notifications for the first time. If you have any burning questions about the update that you would like the Android team to answer, here's your chance.
Google's upcoming game-streaming service has shown a lot of promise, plus it isn't even priced too badly, but there are still a ton of questions surrounding the platform as we edge closer to the November launch. For that reason, Stadia's Director of Product, Andrey Doronichev, took part in a Reddit AMA to fill in some of the blanks and address some people's concerns.
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When OnePlus announced its latest flagship phone, there were some interesting software features introduced alongside the impressive new hardware. Not all of them will be coming to older OnePlus devices but many of them will, including Zen Mode and the native screen recording function.
Not content to simply absorb all of Snapchat's features, Facebook-owned Instagram is now making a play for the music recommendation/performance demographic and aiming to become a hotspot for Live Q&As. The platform has introduced a feature into Stories (the ephemeral feed at the top of the app) that lets users request, receive, and jam out to song suggestions, as well as a new, more official format for Live Q&A sessions.
A major strength of OnePlus since its inception has been its willingness to engage with its community of users and, by this point, fans. That doesn't show any sign of changing, thankfully, and in the wake of the OnePlus 6T launch, co-founder Carl Pei and his team hosted an AMA on the company's forum.
Around this time last year, Android's engineering team hosted an 'Ask Me Anything' session on Reddit, to discuss the Android O release. The team announced that it would be returning for what is now practically a tradition, with this AMA for questions about Android P.
Deemed just “essentially okay” by Ryan shortly after its launch, when it was still selling for $700, the Essential Phone was essentially a must-buy earlier this week, at a discounted price of $250. Bargain hunters who are only starting to get accustomed to the divisive Andy Rubin-created device may want to know the company answers questions every month on Reddit.
Are you an Android developer (or an aspiring one)? Do you have some burning questions you've been dying to ask Google's Android team? Well, there's good news for you; the Android P engineering team will be answering your questions in an r/androiddev AMA on July 19th, and you can get your questions in now.
Yesterday on Reddit, members of the Google Chrome team conducted an AMA ('Ask Me Anything'). While the main focus of the AMA was about web development (it was on /r/webdev, after all), there were a few answers that both users and developers can get excited about.
AMAs on reddit are a good way for tech companies to communicate with fans and potential customers and answer any concerns they may have. Of course, not all of them go well, but if you're honest and respond to important questions, it's easy enough to do. Essential may have had a couple of screw-ups in the past, but at least it did its AMA right. Here are some responses we thought deserved a spot in this recap.
With a recent example of how not to do a Reddit AMA still fresh in the mind courtesy of OnePlus, yesterday was Google's turn to show us how it's done. A long list of key personnel from the Android engineering team took to r/androiddev to answer questions from the community regarding the upcoming release of Android O. As you'd expect, the team remained coy about a number of things they're simply not yet allowed to speak about, but they did have some interesting things to say. Here are some of the highlights.
It's Friday, April 29th, and that means the day for our AMA with Disqus has arrived! We'll be starting the discussion at 11AM PST, but that doesn't mean you can't start asking questions now. As a reminder, the prompts for our discussion are:
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Disqus has been our comment and discussion platform of choice here at Android Police for just over four years. In that time, over a million comments have been made by you, our readers. I think I can speak for the entire AP team when I say that reading comments threads on the articles we write, particularly when they are witty or insightful, is one of the highlights of this job.
HTC is at something of a crossroads right now. After the disappointing performance of the One M9 earlier this year and steadily declining revenue, the company is launching the HTC Preview program. It's a way for users to test unreleased devices and software in order to help HTC improve them before they see the light of day. The HTC Preview team also did an AMA on Reddit to talk about the program, though they shied away from some of the tougher questions.
The reaction to Pushbullet's pro plan earlier this week was not what the developers had hoped for. Many users cited the $5 monthly price and removal of some free features as justification to declare Pushbullet literally satan. Pushbullet's developers have always been active in the community, so Ryan from Pushbullet (guzba on Reddit) is doing an AMA to explain.
Hiroshi Lockheimer of the Google team that build the Nexus 5X and 6P is currently answering questions in a Reddit AMA, and one that came up concerns those mysterious letters at the end of this year's devices. Rather than releasing the Nexus 5 (2015) and Nexus 6 (2015), Google tacked on the letter X to the former and P to the latter.
Do you have a burning question about Chrome for Android? Yes? Well, today is your lucky day. The team behind the Android version of Chrome is doing an AMA on the /r/Android sub-Reddit. That means you can ask them anything, not that they'll answer anything.
In case you missed it, three members of the team responsible for Inbox by Gmail including Vijay U, Jason C, and Taylor K (Product Manager, Designer, and Software Engineer respectively) answered questions in a Reddit AMA thread today.
You still can't just buy a OnePlus One, even after all these months. There are invites floating around, but it's an extra hurdle you have to clear to give them your money. So when will you get to start pining for the next one? According to Carl and David from OnePlus, the next OnePlus phone should be out in Q2 or Q3 of 2015.