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Android

Android's New Instant Hotspot Feature Won't Be Available on Samsung Devices (androidauthority.com) 64

Posted by msmash from the tough-luck dept.
Mishaal Rahman, reporting for AndroidAuthority: Google just unveiled its latest Android Feature Drop earlier today, and it's one of the most exciting feature drops I can remember. The two features I'm most excited about are part of Play Services's new Cross-Device Services module, which brings some Apple Continuity-style magic to your Android devices. For example, the new Instant Hotspot feature lets you connect your Android tablet or Chromebook to your phone's hotspot with a single tap. Instant Hotspot works with phones running Android 11 or newer, with one notable exception: Samsung devices. According to Google, Instant Hotspot will not be available on any Samsung devices. [...] It's not clear exactly why Instant Hotspot isn't available on Samsung devices. The feature is part of Google Play Services, which is available on all Google-certified Android devices, including those from Samsung. It's likely that Samsung opted out of this particular feature, perhaps to encourage users to buy devices within their ecosystem.
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Android's New Instant Hotspot Feature Won't Be Available on Samsung Devices More

Android's New Instant Hotspot Feature Won't Be Available on Samsung Devices

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  • Instant hotspot is very useful on Macs (Score:3)

    by linuxguy ( 98493 ) on Thursday May 30, 2024 @12:51PM (#64510941) Homepage

    For many years I remained strictly an Android user. As a heavy user of the hotspot feature, one day I experienced how good the hotspot function was in the Apple world. I grudgingly then switched to the Apple ecosystem. Now that I have been using it for some time, you couldn't pay me to go back.

    It is quite surprising that the Android phones and Windows laptops have not been able to replicate the excellent hotspot experience of Apple for more than a decade. And even this announcement only covers Google devices and not Windows laptops.

    • For many years I remained strictly an Android user. As a heavy user of the hotspot feature, one day I experienced how good the hotspot function was in the Apple world. I grudgingly then switched to the Apple ecosystem. Now that I have been using it for some time, you couldn't pay me to go back.

      It is quite surprising that the Android phones and Windows laptops have not been able to replicate the excellent hotspot experience of Apple for more than a decade. And even this announcement only covers Google devices and not Windows laptops.

      I use my iPhone hotspot all the time. Definitely works better than either my Android or Windows hotspots.

      But srsly, the Apple Mac/iPad/iPhone/watch ecosystem is damn nice. Even in the car. And the similar Android offerings all seem kinda kludgy.

      • What is the difference for you?
        On my Android device and my iOS device: hot spots work exactly the same.

        • What is the difference for you? On my Android device and my iOS device: hot spots work exactly the same.

          Not connecting, or dropping out.

    • Re:Instant hotspot is very useful on Macs (Score:5, Interesting)

      by kalpol ( 714519 ) on Thursday May 30, 2024 @01:42PM (#64511119)
      What's so good about the Apple hotspot? I just turn on the hotspot on my Android phone with the button, and that's it, unless the device is new, then I have to add the SSID on the new device.

      • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

        by Gilgaron ( 575091 )
        Yeah I'm wondering too, it's literally just joining a WiFi network, how much more opportunity for handholding is there?
        • Basically you don't need to touch the phone to join the hotspot. It can be initiated completely from the mac or ipad, I think it kicks off the request over bluetooth.

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

          It just saves you the immense effort of entering the WiFi password or scanning a QR code. I think you can do it by NFC touch as well. This seems to be either using Bluetooth or going through the cloud.

          It's nice but there are so many huge advantages to Android that such a minor inconvenience isn't going to make me switch.

      • If you connect via USB and install iTunes on Windows, it will have a driver to connect to the hotspot through a virtual USB ethernet interface. While I get that wired is better than wireless, you're still connecting to an imperfect carrier cellular connection over a very short distance either way.

        If you use an Apple laptop, you do get to see the cell signal strength from the WiFi dropdown no matter whether you are connected USB or over WiFi. It's not a huge selling point.

      • What's so good about the Apple hotspot? I just turn on the hotspot on my Android phone with the button, and that's it, unless the device is new, then I have to add the SSID on the new device.

        I guess that for some people digging out their phone, unlocking it, and turning on the hotspot is too much trouble. And as an occasional hotspot user, I kinda get that.

        My phone's hotspot turns itself off fairly soon after it no longer has anything connected to it. So if I'm switching my laptop between local-WiFi-which-is-a-bit-dodgy and my phone's hotspot - which I did recently while we were on vacation and I was already approaching my phone's 10 gig limit - turning the hotspot back on repeatedly gets prett

      • What's so good about the Apple hotspot? I just turn on the hotspot on my Android phone with the button, and that's it, unless the device is new, then I have to add the SSID on the new device.

        Exactly. I don't see the point of this "feature." It seems to be as useful as Amazon's "one-click" ordering, which I never use. For people who think a one-click feature is useful, I wonder if they would prefer an AI-based "zero-click" feature?

      • Its really absurd selling point that only makes sense IF, and this is a bit IF. The other devices that could use it are worth using. The apple feature is useful in that a family ipad can request the use of my hotspot without digging into settings at all, which is much easier for noobs who don't know how to go into settings and choose wifi networks. Yes thats easy, but the easiest thing is something that you don't have to think about and just works.

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by dbialac ( 320955 )
          I think this is more of an issue with the fact that Apple, at least as far as I remember, buries the ability to turn WiFi on and off inside the settings app as opposed to android where it's a swipe and a press away.

    • Re:Instant hotspot is very useful on Macs (Score:5, Interesting)

      by The-Ixian ( 168184 ) on Thursday May 30, 2024 @01:54PM (#64511167)

      I am genuinely curious. What is easier than finding your hotspot in the list of wifi networks and then connecting to it (or automatically connecting to it when it is a saved wifi profile?)

      I am not really seeing the inconvenience factor here.

      • It sounds like the only difference is that it can pull the hotspot password from the phone automatically, which only matters on first time setup. I don't know why I would care if this isn't available on Samsung devices or even Google Pixel devices.

    • Re:Instant hotspot is very useful on Macs (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Luckyo ( 1726890 ) on Thursday May 30, 2024 @01:58PM (#64511179)

      I've no idea about apple right now, but current android hotspot is literally draw down the top menu and tap hotspot.

      That's it.

      Literally any modern device, including apple devices can just automatically connect to it when they see it, so long as their scanning is on.

      Does apple have a dedicated hardware button for hotspot or something?

      • This appears to be for the first time you use it. You can connect to the other device without having to select the access point and enter the password.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Luckyo ( 1726890 )

          ... Ok, so the problem is clicking the hotspot name and entering a password once? That is the awfulness of the hotspot experience?

          Oh my god, Apple's devices are fucking trash then. You have to do just that when you log into the device for the first time!

    • Re:Instant hotspot is very useful on Macs (Score:4, Funny)

      by TheNameOfNick ( 7286618 ) on Thursday May 30, 2024 @01:58PM (#64511181)

      Hello linuxguy, it appears your account has been hacked.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dbialac ( 320955 )
      How many people use Chromebooks?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by flink ( 18449 )

      I was an iPhone user for a decade. If I could get real firefox with plugins, a headphone jack, and a fingerprint scanner, I'd switch back in a heartbeat. The fingerprint scanner is kind of negotiable I guess, but faceID sucks when you are wearing a respirator and safety googles.

  • And this is yet another reason why artificial crippling should be illegal. It's one thing to not support a feature do to no expenditure for funds to do so. It's something completely different for a manufacturer to remain in control of a device you own and actively take action to stop you from doing things with your own device or using whatever feature, software, or company you choose to use or do business after you own the device.

    • 100% this! The BMW subscription feature where your car came with seat heaters, but those are not allocated for your use until you start paying a subscription fee to use them? I do not know if BMW has implemented this extra revenue stream yet, but they did advertise that it was in their plans! Disgusting! Not that I would buy another BMW, had one, loved it, but couldn't justify the maintenace cost. Had it for 3 years, put about 45,000 miles on it, paid about $8900 in needed fixes to shit that broke, got rid

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dbialac ( 320955 )
        I had a BMW 328i. It was a great and very reliable car. It handled great, I never had an issue with it and took it to 130,000 miles. It was perfect shape when I traded it for a BMW M3. It had one issue while I owned it and it was otherwise a very reliable car and amazing to drive. There were several of lesson here, though: if you buy BMW, always get the extended warranty. That extended warranty paid for itself many times over. Second, Carmax has an amazing extended warranty. It saved me $20k in repairs. Thi
        • I took my car to a repair shop that was 20 miles away, the BMW dealership was 60 miles away, the mechanic I had told me that he would never own a bmw, between BMW's Mercedes and Audi, he had an Audi.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by dbialac ( 320955 )
            It's easier to get parts for Audi because they're mostly, but not completely, Volkswagons underneath. But, they don't handle as well as an M3. Really, the M3 doesn't have any equivalents and I actually once walked into a Mercedes dealership and that was the first thing they said when I asked if they had something equivalent.
            • I really, really liked my 750 il, but the cost drove me nuts, I mean, I had a Jeep Liberty and in 250,000 miles at about 170,000 was literally the first time it needed anything other than oil changes and new tires. My Camaro Z28 I had back in the 90's, I needed to rebuild the transmission at about 140,000 miles, but, I 'drove it like I stole it', and doing bootleg turns and such...Then my Mustang, that needed a new water pump at about 180,000 and a transmission rebuild around 220,000 miles, and that beastie

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by dbialac ( 320955 )
                I'm not doubting you at all. It wasn't until the E9x series 3 series cars did reliability really happen. I've heard about people having 3 series that last 200k+ miles now and it was just a matter of getting regular maintenance done. M series cars will always be different simply because they push the limits for a somewhat standard production car. If you want a high-end performance car that handles well, they're still a great option.
    • The crippling is probably because of the network carriers, but I agree they shouldn't be able to charge extra for hotspots.
  • between Galaxy devices since at least 2020, it's called auto-hotspot:
    https://www.sammyfans.com/2020/11/03/how-to-use-auto-hotspot-in-samsung// [sammyfans.com]

    but agree, it's only working between Galaxy devices and the reason they opted out of Googles feature is probably to keep users in their walled garden.

  • I have my phone set up with Tasker to automatically turn on the hotspot when it detects a Bluetooth connection to my car's Android head unit, which the head unit then automatically connects to. It's seamless. And after the Bluetooth connection has been gone for five minutes, Tasker turns off the hotspot.

  • Does Samsung silicon support AP mode?

    Could it be that simple?

    I don't play 'bootloader lockdown' so I don't know but among desktop chipsets you need to choose carefully if you need AP mode.

  • I see the feature as utterly pointless given that devices I own will already connect to the hotspot by virtue of it being on. But the real kicker is that someone thinks this is exciting.

    This is it, we've reached the endgame. When utter pointlessness is so exciting we've reached stable maturity in our devices. Long gone are the days of varying APIs, applications that may or may not support an OS feature. We just have stability now.

    Actually, it's been like this for 5+ years already which is incidentally why I

  • you HAVE to degoogle/desammy or install a custom rom like LinageOS
    because the level of surveillance is absurd.

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