OFFICIAL Android Feature Wishlist Thread

[Member1614188]

1. The ability to not ship with extra gapps. I really don't need Google Play Music. or Google Play TV, ect.

2. And also at the very least link2sd support. Helps when you have only like 200MB for /system on an Optimus V lol. :smokingsomb:

3. Also, no bloat. If you're going to add bloat, I will root so I can get it off.

4. THEME CHOOSER FRAMEWORK! We want Android to stay customizable, right? So, include the framework to keep it that way!

 

[maxkarlmiller]

-more costomizable

 

[maxkarlmiller]

-give out apps to people with older devices so it can work like new android.

 

[bakkiz]

Great that there is such a list
I think you should update it though, your Sticky list was last updated in 2008, so I have some

suggestions to let you edit it.

You should differ between what's a Android problem and what's a problem with the changes the

phone brands do. Maybe organize it in additional features, bugs, bad design/user interface or something.

The list is rather old, you should fix this:

Fulfilled wishes
-----------
2. This works good now
3. This works good now
6. This works partly well now
10. This works good now
13. This works good now
14. This works good now
15. This works good now
16. This works good now
17. This works good now i think
18. This works good now
19. This works good now
20. This works good now
21. This works good now
22. This exists now
23. This works good now
24. This works now, but not good
25. This works good now

Hard wishes (Also be aware of that other companies could have patented certain features =))
----------
5. I guess this has to be set by the accounts to prevent server load
8. The phone brands don't want you to and you can do this with root, but I see your point, the

customer should get to decide

New wishes
-----------
-Enter new message
When I exit messages with home button and later get a new message, I press the messages button
(or swipe from the unlock screen) It opens the previous message again.
No point in that, I have already read it, I opened messages because I want to read the new one!
Explanation http://androidforums.com/android-lounge/799961-messages-does-not-enter-new-sms-once.html

 

[Medion]

There are three things that I want to see in my next Android version (should get Kitkat OTA in about 2 weeks).

1. Transparent Notification Bar - My last two phones had OLED screens, and this part burned in horribly on both. My current phone also has an OLED display, so this is needed before burn in sets in. Confirmed for Kitkat.
2. Camera software improvements to reduce blur - The Galaxy S4 has an outstanding camera for a smartphone, but it's crippled on the Google Play Edition due to shoddy software. Here's hoping that they add in software image stabilization for devices that don't have hardware OIS. Vaguely mentioned in Kitkat.
3. I want the separate media/navigation volume back from Eclair/Froyo. As it stands, when streaming the GPS/music over bluetooth, either the GPS is inaudible, or the music has to be cranked way up. Currently denied by Google.

Point 1 was a Nexus 5 exclusive. I'm miffed about that. Point 2 is potentially in the works, but didn't happen yet. Point 3 still stands.

Not only did none of my requests occur, but Kitkat brought about more lock-down from Google. This update should be good for most, but it's a disappointment for me.

 

[Member1614188]

Point 1 was a Nexus 5 exclusive. I'm miffed about that. Point 2 is potentially in the works, but didn't happen yet. Point 3 still stands.

Not only did none of my requests occur, but Kitkat brought about more lock-down from Google. This update should be good for most, but it's a disappointment for me.

Point 1 is sorta kinda not exclusive. I have a HTC One. And still on Sense 5 mind you. Not KitKat yet. I have a transparent statusbar. No not using Xposed either.

 

[Mister F]

My list is a little simpler than some of yours.

1. Better backup. Android automatically remembers which apps you had installed, but it doesn't back up settings or messaging/call history. You have to rely on 3rd party apps for that, and they aren't always easy to use, especially if your phone isn't rooted.

2. Lockscreen notifications. HTC has this built into Sense and I imagine that other manufacturers do to. Same with iPhone. Lockscreen widgets in Jelly Bean are a start, but you still have to download an app like NiLS to get text or email notifications. None of them are as good as it would be if the feature were built into the OS.

3. Unread counts on icons and folders. Every other mobile OS has this, as do manufacturer UIs like Sense. 3rd party launchers have it too but the supported apps are very limited. Now that messaging is integrated into Hangouts it's even worse.

These are all pretty basic features and I have no idea why they're not in stock Android. That said, overall I still prefer a mostly stock experience, with the added flexibility of Nova Launcher of course. My next phone will probably be a Nexus.

 

[sfbloodbrother]

I wish android has some professional programming apps for tablets. I want to learn to program, but may have to get a windows tablet to run the programming software.

 

[CA Marc]

It seems like almost every app out there seems to want both of the following permissions:
-- full network access
-- modify or delete the contents of your USB storage

For those of us who store business information on our phones, it is quite disquieting that almost any app I want to download could have access to my business files without me ever knowing it.

Clearly, apps such as Gas Buddy, Shortzy Crosswords, etc. need access to the network. Additionally, it is desirable to allowing these programs access to USB to read/write/modify THEIR OWN FILES so that they can store gas station preferences, save partially completed crosswords, etc. HOWEVER, it is unacceptable that the Android sandbox is construstucted such that by granting the programs access to modify their own files on the USB card, it also allows them access to all other files on the USB card to which the owner of the phone does not want them to have access (e.g. business files that have nothing to do with these apps).

I think it very important that at the very least a better sandbox be used by Google/Android, such that an App could be certified and restricted to only read/write/modify files in a folder that is named the same name as the running App itself. That is not to say that there not be a global option that some programs needs to use (for instance, Astro File Manager is an app that would require global USB permissions), but the bulk of the apps such as Gas Buddy should be restricted. If Google doesn't create such a restrictive option, it will have have the negative effects of:
-- making cautious users very limited in what apps they can use on their phone
-- make the typical, non-cautious user wide open to programs that steal their info
-- and, if lots of users have their info stolen at some point in the future, this will make Google and the Android platform vulnerable to an exodus.

In other words I would like to see Apps that I download saying that they require the following permissions instead:
-- full network access
-- LIMITED ACCESS to USB storage --- can only read/modify/delete files which the program itself creates

 

[mannymelo]

Hello,
New to android and not too 'tech savvy.'

Why are .mkv not compatible with Android operating system?
I understand that there are ways to convert the file, and that there are apps I can download in order to play .mkv files; however, my question remains:

WHY aren't .mkv files compatible with Android? (licensing issues, tech issues, etc.???)
Thank you!

 

[mikedt]

Hello,
New to android and not too 'tech savvy.'

Why are .mkv not compatible with Android operating system?
I understand that there are ways to convert the file, and that there are apps I can download in order to play .mkv files; however, my question remains:

WHY aren't .mkv files compatible with Android? (licensing issues, tech issues, etc.???)
Thank you!

Because Android only includes certain codecs as standard. To be fair not even Windows or Mac OS X can play MKV with their default codecs and players.You have to install something like VLC.

MKV or Matroska(Russian doll) is only a wrapper that can contain any number of different streams and codecs. It's openly licensed but a media player needs to know how to deal with it, e.g. VLC.

 

[Tooleap]

#1 better battery
#2 give a proper replacement to the physical keyboard.

 

[codyedmonson]

Can we just take a moment to look back and see that this post has continued to grow for almost 7 years. Jesus that's a lot of ideas, guess google has their hands full with these.

 

[mikedt]

Can we just take a moment to look back and see that this post has continued to grow for almost 7 years. Jesus that's a lot of ideas, guess google has their hands full with these.

Reading through first post in this long running thread, think we got most of what's listed there now. ...certainly I find the VPN support to be very useful.

 

[Shamim88]

About Huawei cell phone
Last few days earlier I have bought a HDC Galaxys Note 3 N9006. It

 

[Zegami]

I think people should really check out the nexus series. It's about as vanilla android as you can get IMO and the perfect phone at a perfect price. I'd say 90% of the issues in the last few pages are fixed in the nexus phones.

 

[mistofeles]

#1. cut-and-paste

It should work so that you set your finger in the top left corner of the screen and then paint with another finger the area you are interested.
The painting pointer is just above your finger, not under it.

Cut-and-past is the PITA of the tablets and phones. It doesn't bother you, if you are only playing and watching videos, but serious users find it awfull.

(keep the wish list as a list and discussions elsewhere)

 

[mikedt]

Actually I find the copy, paste works just fine the way it is. Hold one finger down on the desired text, and then manipulate the start and end markers to what you want to highlight, using one finger. Think if had to use two fingers, that would require more manual dexterity, and if what you wanted to mark something was very small, probably couldn't get them close enough together. I got large thick fingers.

Copy, paste works in the same way on iOS as well, hold down, and then move the two markers with one finger.

Sometimes you might need to scroll up or down to select all the desired text. With the way is that's not a problem. If one was painting with two fingers to select the start and end, how would one scroll the page, using a third finger?

 

[mistofeles]

#2. Standard update

Nowadays every tablet brand has his own updates. You can not use standard Google installation packets. Compare to Linux and M$. In those you can install the system from the same media to (nearly) any PC hardware.
The tablets are not SO different in hardware, that you could not build a standard core and then add the drivers for the special chips.
Of course different CPU and GPU needs different code, but there is ways to solve this. The most simple is to compile the source for the different CPU in the Google server.

Google could even build an application, which checks the hardware and builds the packet in their server. Once the packet is built, it can be stored there to be used in all of the tablets of the same model.

After that the update could happend piece-by-piece with OTA without any need to totally clear the device data and applications nor root your device.

 

[bjacks12]

I would like them to replace the voice for Google Search and for Maps with Samuel L. Jackson.

Can this be a thing?

 

[lkasdorf]

I can't use any of the advanced features if the battery is dead. My toothbrush charges wirelessly when I put it on its cradle- my phone needs to do the same.

 

[lkasdorf]

I cannot get files on or off my phone via USB or kies. This is a disgrace. It needs to be easy and work reliably.

 

[lkasdorf]

When the phone rings in my pocket, easily 2/3rds of the time, by the time I get it out and in my hand, I've hung up, or triggered some crazy thing. All I want to do is answer the damn phone! things need to be disabled so that it is not so easy to press or touch the wrong thing.

Also, when I get the phone out of my pocket, it is like russian roulette to see what will be launched. generally some totally random app gets launched, just in the process of wrestling it out of my pocket.

 

[doodsme]

@sfbloodbrother... I'm actually working on a couple of hands-on tutorial. First would be about HTML.

 

[Darketernal]

Just barging in here, but my number one integrated wish for android is that i wish the new version would just keep playing video while browsing other things, i just HAAATEEEE it when i am listening to some music, and i want to read the news that android stops playing once i open up a new tab, i Hate that kind of apple like phone behavior, and i really miss sufficient video support on android. Somebody please tell adobe not to listen to Steve jobs and just make flash for Android, i dont care if it sucks up memory, i just want to listen and watch my cnn video s which absolutely do not work with a basic android instalment on my asus memo pad.