Downside of android

John Oliver did a piece related to this. Folks looking for jobs get kidnapped, shipped to an unknown village in Burma, then held at gunpoint to fleece others via text messaging and eventually lead them to very realistic but fake exchanges. Scams (combined with modern day slavery) have come a long way since the days of Nigerian princes.
 
In the last 16 years, after leaving BlackBerry, I ventured once for a month into the Android world; I think in 2013, I almost crashed my phone out of frustration, went back to Apple, and never looked back, nor do I want to. Have better things to do in life then dealing with Android, or Microsoft for that matter. When it come to Microsoft, it is enough I have to use Outlook on daily basis.
 
cptbarkey said:
John Oliver did a piece related to this. Folks looking for jobs get kidnapped, shipped to an unknown village in Burma, then held at gunpoint to fleece others via text messaging and eventually lead them to very realistic but fake exchanges. Scams (combined with modern day slavery) have come a long way since the days of Nigerian princes.
Click to expand...
There have been many of these and there is a closet call center industry set up in South Asia to try to fleece people. This is combined with email campaigns, Craigslist ads, FB Marketplace, etc to get people to call these places and get their money.
 
Brons2 said:
There have been many of these and there is a closet call center industry set up in South Asia to try to fleece people. This is combined with email campaigns, Craigslist ads, FB Marketplace, etc to get people to call these places and get their money.
Click to expand...
They rounded up about a 1,000 people last month in Myanmar. These call centers are based in Myanmar near the Thai border, use Thai 5G cell networks and are managed by underworld figures from Macau.
 
edyvw said:
In the last 16 years, after leaving BlackBerry, I ventured once for a month into the Android world; I think in 2013, I almost crashed my phone out of frustration, went back to Apple, and never looked back, nor do I want to.
Click to expand...
Asking for a friend, what in heck were you trying to do on your Android in 2013 with what hardware?

Blackberry user here, Started on DOS 3.X, moved to Android/Windows. Smooth sailing since then.
 
Danno said:
Asking for a friend, what in heck were you trying to do on your Android in 2013 with what hardware?

Blackberry user here, Started on DOS 3.X, moved to Android/Windows. Smooth sailing since then.
Click to expand...
Moved from iPhone to some LG POS.
My kids have current Android devices. Thanx, but no thanx.
 
edyvw said:
In the last 16 years, after leaving BlackBerry, I ventured once for a month into the Android world; I think in 2013, I almost crashed my phone out of frustration, went back to Apple, and never looked back, nor do I want to. Have better things to do in life then dealing with Android, or Microsoft for that matter. When it come to Microsoft, it is enough I have to use Outlook on daily basis.
Click to expand...
My story is similar, but opposite. I had a BlackBerry as early as Y2K, the one with the wheel. I was a die-hard BlackBerry person. When I finally moved off I went to Android. Tried an iPhone one time in maybe 2017 I think, as I've had many work iPhones. It was a disaster as my personal, as I have Google everything services. Went back to an Android after 3 or 4 months, couldn't take it anymore.

I'm all Pixel these days and I highly recommend them over Samsungs. I do wish I had a work iPhone still though, as the fact that I have to use my personal Pixel for work prevents me from rooting it and sideloading betas and other stuff.
 
edyvw said:
In the last 16 years, after leaving BlackBerry, I ventured once for a month into the Android world; I think in 2013, I almost crashed my phone out of frustration, went back to Apple, and never looked back, nor do I want to. Have better things to do in life then dealing with Android, or Microsoft for that matter. When it come to Microsoft, it is enough I have to use Outlook on daily basis.
Click to expand...
Wow, we maybe at odds with each other at times but boy we are on the same side on this subject. :unsure:
 
Vil_Riker said:
They rounded up about a 1,000 people last month in Myanmar. These call centers are based in Myanmar near the Thai border, use Thai 5G cell networks and are managed by underworld figures from Macau.
Click to expand...
Note to self, don't go to Burma or Macau.


Apple's walled garden is indeed better for security.
 
This is made MUCH WORSE by GOOGLE's INSANE AD policy.

I can go to the play store. Search for something... and get a totally different app for first 3 results because paid promotion.
sometimes they are deviously close/fake to what you are trying to find.

See this example (not politics related in this use)
I search for Facebook and the first result is "truth social" sponsored.

An example Previously you could search for google keyboard and end up with 3rd party keyboards "for google" that look legit.
1727459394322.webp
 
The first thing you need to find out is which country this "hack" has happened in. A lot of times, it's India or western europe, or some other obscure place. Then you have to wonder if the person owning the phone has updated it, the Play Store app, or any of the apps.
THEN, you need to find out if that same person has sideloading enabled, in other words, allow apps from unknown providers. All of this is possible on Android, not so much on Apple. Apple just wants the cash.
AND if you think any operating system is immune from hacking, you are living a fantasy.
I just heard today that Linux, yes based on Unix and used worldwide, has been exploited through the CUPS print service. Guess what, I got a CUPS update today.

Finally, you talk about paid promotions. In over 25 years on Android, I have not had a bad experience. GUESS who might be paying for all these horror stories about Android?
Who's new phone sales are not exactly as expected?
 
Rand said:
This is made MUCH WORSE by GOOGLE's INSANE AD policy.

I can go to the play store. Search for something... and get a totally different app for first 3 results because paid promotion.
sometimes they are deviously close/fake to what you are trying to find.

See this example (not politics related in this use)
I search for Facebook and the first result is "truth social" sponsored.

An example Previously you could search for google keyboard and end up with 3rd party keyboards "for google" that look legit.
View attachment 242439
Click to expand...

It gets worse. Type in "Authenticator" into the search and a 3rd party authenticator app whose icon and color scheme is very similar to Microsoft Authenticator pops up. I've had multiple users accidently download that one instead of the MS Authenticator despite warnings.
 
Pew said:
It gets worse. Type in "Authenticator" into the search and a 3rd party authenticator app whose icon and color scheme is very similar to Microsoft Authenticator pops up. I've had multiple users accidently download that one instead of the MS Authenticator despite warnings.
Click to expand...
Yes exactly what I was getting at.. the auth app almost got me too.. I had to install it for work.. for push notification codes.
The first hit looked right but it was a chinese app "sponsored" to be the top hit... over the 1 billion user correct app.

Extremely bad policy to take money to put apps above what people are looking for....on purpose.
 
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