From Gemini Spark to Daily Brief, Google’s newest Android AI features are increasingly locked behind subscriptions.

Buying Android phone is increasingly just the entry fee for Google’s AI ecosystem.

The direction of travel is clear: Google is pushing AI harder and harder to redefine its ecosystem and bring new, powerful features to users. Android’s core OS remains free, but Google increasingly appears to view it less as a product and more as a delivery mechanism for its AI services. As those services become more central to the modern smartphone experience, many of the platform’s most ambitious features are also becoming subscription products.

  • spaceracoon@lemmy.zip
    121·
    14 days ago

    Really looking forward trying GrapheneOS or HarmonyOS even. Not interested in any of this stuff. 99% it’s flashy but not that useful on the grand scheme of things. You suck my data, AND I need to pay you now? No way 🤣

    • elucubra@sopuli.xyz
      2·
      14 days ago

      I have a Huawei tablet that updated to Harmony os. It’s de-,googled by default. It can use stores like Aurora, Fdroid, etc. The thing is like 5 years old and runs beautifully. If I need to check Google mail, I open Firefox. YouTube? Firefox.

      I have gbix, or some other containerized Google services, but haven’t used it online a couple of years.

      The only thing that I’m not too happy about is governance of Harmony OS, being Chinese and all, but I don’t use it for any sensitive stuff like banks etc.

      Huawei hardware is really top tier, BTW