Daily John DeLancie: Running Q as Daily Driver

By PGHammer
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Grand Master

PGHammer

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Some of us actually dare to run Android Q as a daily driver on one or more Android devices - what do you think of it?  Since I started the thread, I'll lead off.

 

When did you start running Q on the device in Question: Monday

What Device(s) Are you running Q on: Google Pixel 3a

Problems - if any: The only problem I have is no dark launch screen or animation on launch

Major, Minor, or Quibble (severity of problem): Quibble

 

  • 3 months later...
Grand Master

PGHammer

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FOLLOWUP - I'm still running Android 10 as my daily driver - and I'm still running it dead-stock as well.  While I can root it, the question begs - why?

(As in "why root Android 10".)  For once, I dared look at it objectively - and actually failed to come up with an answer!  The sort of things that you used to HAVE to root or modify Android to do are now part of the core feature set (or can be added via third-party utilities that don't require rooting).  Given that, the question becomes not why NOT root" - but "why root".  If you don't need to, then why do the extra work (and the extra hassle)?

Grand Master

Steven P. Administrators

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I got it on my Pixel 3 and well, apart from my mobile bankpass (with NFC) no longer working (some policy change with Android 10, says the bank) can't say I've run into any problems. I used 9 so very briefly because up until the end of August my previous phone was the Samsung Galaxy S8 which had just gotten Pie with the new One UI.

 

With the Pixel 3, I miss customizing the AOD and I really miss Smart stay and face unlock, to me if feels like an underwhelming upgrade. Smart unlock appears to behave much better on the Pixel though.

Grand Master

PGHammer

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13 hours ago, Steven P. said:

I got it on my Pixel 3 and well, apart from my mobile bankpass (with NFC) no longer working (some policy change with Android 10, says the bank) can't say I've run into any problems. I used 9 so very briefly because up until the end of August my previous phone was the Samsung Galaxy S8 which had just gotten Pie with the new One UI.

 

With the Pixel 3, I miss customizing the AOD and I really miss Smart stay and face unlock, to me if feels like an underwhelming upgrade. Smart unlock appears to behave much better on the Pixel though.

A LOT of the pushback (not just with 10, but also with 9), is from folks used to how the previous version did things.  (I get that.)  I went basically directly from 8 to 10  therefore, I never got comfortable with 9 (the S7 Snapdragon never ran it, and while the Pixel 3a did, by the time I got it, the beta of 10 was under way, which I jumped on immediately).

 

Gestures?  I don't use them (didn't during the beta, and don't now).  Smart unlock saves me a ton of pain (it is, in fact, my second favorite feature).  My favorite feature?  It still isn't the Camera (which is growing on me, though) - my favorite feature is the zippy wired charging - it is easily the fastest wired charging of any phone - combine that with the long SOT (again, the longest of any phone I have experience with) and I need wireless charging *why*?  What I find fun is that every feature that I have with my 3a is also available to older Pixels (such as my Mom's refurbished original) via APK upgrades.

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