Skip to main content

Tough love | What Google gets wrong and should change


I will preface this by saying I am not a programmer but I am a fan of Google and will also mention that they get so many things right. However, they're not perfect and get things wrong too, which is why I am writing this blog. Google is great at building platforms such as Android, Chromium and among others which are awesome. But Google falls short when taking care of their own homegrown apps and services, and devices at times to their own detriment. There are many examples I can use but will stick to just a few. 


The first one that comes to mind is the feature Bubbles. It was announced way back in 2020 around IO but did not roll out until recently which is several months after Android 11 was released. Why announce it to take months to roll it out. Another issue I found as of late is app-related. Google has done a brilliant thing by placing all of their apps in the Play Store to be updated easily and without the need for a full system update. Good, right? So, why are apps with bugs taking so long to get fixed? I reported an issue with an app over a month ago now and received a response back from Google seemingly acknowledging the problem but the same issue persists. So I send feedback and wait. I don’t expect app issues to be resolved in a matter of days but more than a month for bugs to linger in an app can be infuriating some people. I included.


So this is not intended to bash Google but a way to hold them accountable. None of the issues I mentioned are deal-breakers at all but is a call to possible issues in the future. What I mean is that Google is looking for users to pay for what used to be free services. I'm not opposed to that, however, the apps and services must work as designed and bugs in the software should be resolved quickly. It seems like Google is stretching itself thin by dabbling in other platforms.


What I would like to see moving forward with Google is for them to be a bit more selfish and prioritize their platform, apps, services and devices over everything else for their user-base best interest. Get things working on your own platforms and devices before moving on to supporting other OSs belonging to another company. Android, Pixel and the like should be at the top of the list for support and new features. So again, I'm not a programmer and have no knowledge of the internal workings at Google. These are my thoughts on what I see, read and hear in the media. Google can do better and I am pulling for them.

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Reviewing the Pixelbook Go after 5 yrs | Software that is outpacing the hardware

  No doubt, the Pixelbook Go has served me well in my 5 yrs with the laptop. This is not necessarily a review of the features on the laptop but a review of the PBG hardware and its usability in 2025. I acknowledge that I am a part of a very small club of users that still have and use this device but I must say that I still enjoy using the PBG every single day. Now, to the review. Hardware Right off the bat. The hardware is probably the least compelling aspect of the PBG. When the laptop was first released in 2019 it was already a year or two behind the competition with the onboard soc. Surprisingly, this has not negatively impacted using the laptop with most tasks. Web surfing is a breeze and most Android apps run pretty effortlessly. The 8th Gen i5 Intel soc paired with 8GB of RAM is well optimized and I feel that Google is getting as much as it can out of the chip.  Where the PBG falls short is with video editing apps. I've tried several Android apps and a couple of Linux ap...

Soundcore K20i review | A look at Ankers budget friendly earbuds (video)

Soundcore K20i by Anker, Semi-in-Ear Earbuds, Bluetooth Wireless, 36H Playtime, Fast Charge, Clear Sound, Comfortable Fit, ENC 2-Mic Clear Calls, Custom EQ, IPX5, Bluetooth 5.3, App Control. https://a.co/d/a27Mi9t

I attended a Pixel Superfans event at the new Google Store in Santa Monica, CA

Last Friday, I had the opportunity to attend a Pixel Superfans event at the new Google Store in Santa Monica. It was a soft launch of the store and a good way to meet like minded people. The staff were very nice and helpful. While I was at the store I was able to finally check out the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and wow that device is extremely impressive. Outside of that, I was able to look around the store and check out other Google products which there are quite a bit to see. I'm looking forward to my next visit to the new Google Store. Take a look at the pictures below including one of some swag I got from Google at the event.