Matisyahu's Blog

As mentioned a few days ago I upgraded my Nothing Phone to Nothing OS 2.5.2 (Android 14) via side loading (downloading the zip from Google then loading it using the dialler method) but what I found is that the more I used it the more buggy I found it to the point that I did a factory reset. After the factory reset it didn’t fix the issue and rather than the Play Store update set at November 2023 it was stuck back in September 2023 so what I did was just stuck with it then out of no where, like manna from heaven, Nothing Tech released a 70MB update for Nothing OS 2.5.2 and Google simultaneously released a Play Store update for January 2024 which appeared to fix all the bugginess.

Regarding the Play Store update itself, over on Arstechnica they go into greater detail than I can but it appears to have been quite the saga for all concerned (link) but I think the one thing to keep in mind is this – having a limited range of products doesn’t necessarily guarantee that everything will go 100% smoothly because Apple has had experiences in the past where they’ve release an update only for it to be pulled because it has caused issues or didn’t fully address an issue (link). It appears that there hasn’t been a version bump for the kernel however it appears they have rebuilt it so maybe there have been some minor bugs fixed up which didn’t warrant a version bump (19 January 2024 vs 7 February 2024 being the kernel build date).

That being said I am a bit confused as to why I couldn’t update from September 2023 to November 2023 while waiting for the January 2024 Google Play system update to be released. Just on a side note, I’m back to using Chrome because I’ve found certain websites have issues or the full range of features (for example offline support for Google Workspace) isn’t available.

I have been contemplating getting an iPhone to replace my Nothing Phone but the problem is that what I want to buy is $2499 and at this point in my life it is rather expensive given that I’m not a heavy smart phone user other than checking Reddit, Mastodon, emailing, texting, listening to music etc. I may look at upgrading but if I do it’ll probably be a Pixel 8 Pro through Mighty Ape (link) but by the time I do that it’ll probably close to the end of this year and the Pixel 9 Pro would be launched by then. There are rumours that there is going to be an updated Chromecast with Google TV 4K released soon, hopefully if the rumours are true it’ll include hardware accelerated AV1 decoding because that is where it appears the industry is heading.

It’s interesting to see the number of messages Google are putting at the top of various pages about how the interface will be changing in the future, I’m wondering whether the belt tightening has also resulted in a much more laser focus on getting all the various services Google provides integrated in a coherent way. I can’t help but get the feeling that with many of Google services they were designed by separate groups that never had any intention on these services working together with a unified branding along with a consistent look and feel. The work around YouTube bringing movies, music, podcasts, television shows etc. all under the same branding. I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up seeing changes in the future regarding the Play Store – maybe a unified app and hardware store? one can only dream for the momentous day to arrive.