Android is struggling to keep its market share in the United States, as Apple continues to take over in the market. But, despite Android as a whole losing ground, Google Pixel phones are becoming a bigger slice of the US market.

Counterpoint Research reports that, in Q2 2023, US smartphone shipments dropped by 24% year-over-year. That includes both iPhones and Android phones, and virtually every brand saw a drop in shipments. Samsung saw US shipments drop by 37% while Motorola saw a 17% drop. TCL saw the biggest decline at just shy of 70% year-over-year, and even Apple saw a 6% drop.

  • Whirlybird@aussie.zone
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    1 year ago

    No they don’t.

    They literally do. It’s part of the licensing for using Google Play Services.

    https://www.androidauthority.com/google-oem-licensing-345806/

    In other words, if you really want just Google Play on your handset, too bad. In order to get the Play Store, an OEM has to agree to install all the other ‘required’ Google apps including Google Voice Search, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk (now Hangouts), Google Maps and so on.

    I’ve been saying the same thing the whole time: that “Google bloat” is not required. I know because I don’t have it and have removed it from several devices.

    If that’s what you’ve been saying then again, you’re 100% demonstrably wrong. Removing it is not the same as it not being there in the first place. Rooting a device or using ADB to remove something doesn’t mean it’s “not removable” in the way that people talk about it.

    You are 100% wrong and making a fool of yourself. If Samsung want to release a phone with Google Play Services, which is needed to run most android apps, they have to include 20+ Google apps and make them non-removable. If you think this is wrong, you are wrong.