Native Android

[SurferUK]

It seems that most of the phones proposed by Vodafone on their website have Android OS with a large amount of bloatware (e.g. Samasung), why Vodafone does not also propose phones with more native Android (e.g. new Nokia, Google,...)?

[BandOfBrothers]

If Network apps i.e. bloatware concerns you then id suggest to do as I do and buy directly from the manufacturer. 

I buy my Samsung phones from Samsung. Yes it still has Samsung apps on which can be dealt with if desired but there's no network bloatware and firmware updates and security patches are not controlled by the network on unbranded handsets. 

Networks put their own Rom and csc code on the phones they supply. With the iPhone being one of the exceptions. 

Android is open source and the most fractured firmware as the Networks and to some degree what the manufacturers add to it. 

There are options to force stop and uninstall most network imposed bits and also there are Package disablers in the Play Store that can remove the items that are not uninstallable the normal way. 

The Pixel phone's from what I've seen are as vanilla Android as possible too as you mentioned. 

[SurferUK]

Thank you for the reply, much appreciated. 

These are fair points and this could be a solution. At the same time we know that some manufacturers are better at providing phone with far less bloatware, Google seems to have the native version, Nokia seems also rather good. By the way Nokia when with Windows OS was part of the offering but now that they operate with Android they have been removed from the offering at least for monthly contract, why??? Moreover I am in a situation where I can upgrade here my phone with Vodafone but cannot leave so I depend on what is available directly from Vodafone

[BandOfBrothers]

Youre very welcome for @SurferUK

In regards to Nokia they certainly have gone through uncertain and turbulent times. 

In my opinion they like BlackBerry have been pretty much left out of available options due to consumer demand. It makes sense for the networks to offer phone models that the public demand. 

May be one day they'll come back into the must want phone. Until then Apple and Samsung prevail. 

Vodafone would not officially comment on business decisions. 

Independents such as CPW can offer more diversity. Although through them a person cant have VEA Employers Discount. If a person takes out a contract or upgrades via an independent they effectively become their customer with Vodafone supplying the network connection. 

That or go to sim only and buy the phone separately is an option for some. 

[hrym]

Another interesting devlopment is Android One, which is a hardware/software standard that gives a consistent experience across the Android platform.   The software is effectively unmodified, so updates etc should come through more quickly.  This can mean that some apps take a while to catch up and this particularly happens with operator ones, such a My Vodafone.  In these cases, the network will be working with their own compatibilities and release timelines.

As Bandofbrothers says, Android is quite heavily fractured and this is one reason why it's so popular - manufacturers like having the basic system ready for them, but with the facility to add their own personality on top of it.  The downside is that you have to wait for updates and patches and that some may never materialise due to the size of the user base (add in the network factor and this is amplified).   That's beside the simple matter of backwards compatibility, of course.

I'm never entirely convinced by the "bloatware" complaint - one person's bloatware is another's essential utility, after all.   As long as the overall storage capacity isn't seriously compromised, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

[SurferUK]

Sorry for the slow reply.

Concerning your comment related to Blackberry I think you might be surprised by the Blackberry Mortion. Looking at the specs there is indeed nothing to rave about but if you use it for work, productivity wise (meaning often a more native Android) it is a great phone and can last 2 days!II New Nokias seem also interesting from this prespective (work, productivity wise). It is a pity that Vodafone ignores them on its website. CPW was mentioned but the only option it seems I currently have is to upgrade my phone on the Vodafone website or...wait, when one of my phones is slowly dying. Not very helpful.