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Google says it can’t fix Pixel Watches, please just buy a new one | With no official repair program and no parts, broken Pixel Watches are just e-waste.

Google says it can’t fix Pixel Watches, please just buy a new one

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/09/11-months-after-launch-googles-pixel-watch-still-has-no-path-to-repair/

With no official repair program and no parts, broken Pixel Watches are just e-waste.

Google says it can’t fix Pixel Watches, please just buy a new one | With no official repair program and no parts, broken Pixel Watches are just e-waste.::With no official repair program and no parts, broken Pixel Watches are just e-waste.

181 comments

markstos

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On the other hand, a Garmin Fenix can be easily opened with an inexpensive tool and replacement parts are easily found online.

sbv

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Garmin watches look amazing. I just wish they had more smartwatch capabilities. I'd love complications on the watch face, and I feel like I should be able to start the assistant with a hotword.

I'm not sure if the Google Watch can do the latter.

echo64

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On the other side of things. I'm super happy that garmin watches don't have more smartwatch capabilities. Their laser focus on sports wearable is what keeps them massively competitive there and keeps me on weeks of battery life instead of hours of battery life

sbv

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I totally understand that. They look perfect for their target market.

As far as I know, they're the only wearable that does realtime stroke/length tracking for swimming, which is really cool. If I was more serious about exercise, that'd be the perfect ~~excuse~~ reason to buy one.

shanghaibebop

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That’s exactly why I have my Garmin Descent.

It’s a dive computer, with basic smart watch features like notifications and general health tracking which are the only ones I need.

I happily paid 1k for it.

CaptainAniki

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The sonar tank regulators that work with the Descent are the coolest fucking things ever. Sonar, on your wrist! Its madness.

FinalRemix

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I've got an OG Garmin vivoactive. Besides the naming bullshit of this being vivoactive and there now being a "vivoactive 1", it's great. It's a sidegrade to thebpebble, which I never thought I'd find. So now I just swap between this and the pebble when the mood suits me.

Love Garmin smartwatches.

Lev_Astov

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I've been wondering what to get when my beloved Pebble dies. Good to know!

FinalRemix

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Check out the pebble communities online though, even the subreddit. There's new batteries you can get, and guides to repair. Barring that, there's always someone looking for even dead pebbles.

books

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I'm leaning this direction because I don't really use any smart features in my watch. Just my fitness shit.

Any recommendations on Garmin watches for a guy who likes to bike/bike but not crazy sports level enthusiast?

echo64

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Whichever one you like the look of and is cheap. Garmin watches are just divided into styling and features. If you don't need specific features you can just get the cheapest one that fits your styling.

I started out with a vivomove because I liked the hybrid look (real watch hands) and only needed basic health stuff. Did notifications which is all I really care about for smart stuff.

Saneless

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There's plenty of watch faces with cool shit on them in the store, same as with Google

And having had watches that do respond to "hey Google" they were super iffy and inconsistent. Buttons are easier to avoid frustration, which the Garmin has.

As far as "smartwatch capabilities" I haven't missed anything from my Wear watch. I certainly don't miss charging it every day or having it die by 5pm because I actually used it

I'm charging my Garmin this morning. Haven't charged it since Sunday.. a week ago Sunday

sbv

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Buttons on smart watches are a must. I really appreciated them on my Pebble.

Saneless

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The Venu has 3. Forerunner 5. I use both (buttons and screens, not both devices)

Psythik

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What kind of smart watch doesn't have complications? Does it at least have sleep tracking?

sbv

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Fitbits. AFAIU, Garmins don't.

geogle

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My Garmin most certainly has sleep tracking

sbv

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I was referring to complications.

Juvyn00b

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I'm lost - what is a complication? From my initial Google, it does seem like my Garmin can add additional things to the face but I'm still kind of unclear as to what a complication is. For reference I have heart rate, step count, mileage, body battery and weather on my vivoactive3 face.

sbv

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Complications are additional snippets of information displayed right on your watch face, such as activity tracking, battery life, media controls and more.

From https://www.google.com/amp/s/blog.google/products/wear-os/5-ways-to-personalize/amp/

Basically, I'd like to know if I have unread messages by looking at my watch. My Fitbit can't do that. AFAIU, Garmins can't, but I could be wrong.

They should be customizable by third party developers, but I think I'd be happy just knowing about SMS, Gmail, and maybe upcoming appointments.

EDIT: also the high/low temperature for the day. It's helpful for choosing kids clothes for the day.

geogle

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Thanks for the clarification. your response was ambiguous given the opposing questions in the former comment

Saneless

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So weather, steps, heart rate, battery life, body battery, calories burned, and others aren't that? My current watch face shows all that and more. Steps or heart rate is even trended

Pyotr

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Their customer support is also aces too. I've got a Fenix 6s and the battery is going out on it, and they're replacing it for free. No questions or fuss. Just a shipping label.

For as expensive as they are, I've been extremely happy with them. When this replacement dies in another 3+ years I'll definitely be getting another Garmin.

cash

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yeah but then you look like a pisspants triathlete

CaptainAniki

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lean, healthy, strong, sexy?

cash

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no, an asshole

CaptainAniki

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you sound salty, and lazy

cash

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Former triathlete. Not a big fan of the community. I’ve moved on to other athletic endeavors.

Art3sian

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Same with the Google Nest Hub.

It cost me around $600 and has a known splash-screen issue which I just woke up to one morning.

No fix available when it happens. Nothing I did caused it. I just had to bin it.

It’s either planned obsolescence or just shitty design.

TheSaneWriter

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It's probably a bit of both. They save money with a worse design and they make more money on more sales.

casmael

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Probably both tbh

Let’s mint a new razor: assume both malice and incompetence

junderwood

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Casmael's Razor. Has a nice ring to it!

Amir

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Greed and incompetence is more accurate

thisisawayoflife

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Companies should have fines for at least as much as the revenue they generated with those devices. Designed obsolescence is something that needs to be *abandoned, even if it hurts really bad financially.

fubo

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Even simpler: If you sell it, and it breaks or becomes useless, you're expected to take it back and dispose of it responsibly. Electronics retailers can charge a deposit, just like the supermarket does for beer and Coke.

Just imagine if things worked that way —

Find the broken husk of an iPod Shuffle on the beach? Take it to an Apple Store; they give you five bucks.

Find a roadkill Dell laptop on the side of the road? (I did earlier this summer.) Take it to any big-box store that sells Dell laptops; they give you five bucks.

Pixel Watch turned into e-waste? Mail it to Google; they give you five bucks. (Probably on your Google Pay account, yeah, but that's better than nothing.)

HurlingDurling

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But before that make it like a tire. Bought a pixel watch and it died in a year an a half? If the device should have lasted 3-5 years, you should be able to send it back to the manufacturer for a percentage of the cost back. Sure, google can say it's watches only last 12 months, but as a consumer would you buy such a disposable item?

Amir

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Nest Hub for $600? Which one is that expensive?

spacedance

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Their support is infamously hard to contact, they discontinue projects very often, and now this. Google makes some very interesting products, but there would have to be a huge shift at the company, which won't happen, for me to buy them.

WHYAREWEALLCAPS

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Google is first and foremost an ad company. Everything else they do is only to improve the worth of their ad business.

dai

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My pixel had issues with the screen (p7p) contacted google, within a couple of days I had an advance replacement device in my hands and a return label for the faulty device.

My watch is giving me issues currently so I'm planning on hitting up support about that too, as it's not within what I expected from the watch (won't connect via bt after a month or so, requiring a factory reset).

In AUS we have great consumer protections, if my watch continues on the way it is currently I'll be returning it for a full refund.

JoeBigelow

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I love being in Maine and quietly mentioning our Implied Warranty and willingness to contact the Secretary of State about a faulty product. I've had success multiple times and only needed to write the Secretary office once.

spaghettiwestern

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Unfortunately that huge shift would require a complete change in Google's corporate culture and that's not gonna happen.

I had my own experience with their customer support after purchasing 2 Pixel 6's. They were utter garbage. Both had the cellular connectivity problem and the fingerprint sensors were completely useless. Those sensors failed 100% of the time in brightly lit stores. There's no way in hell that Google was unaware of those problems, and they were in fact well documented (but not resolved) after six months and one major software "fix".

Lucky for me a request for help on Reddit resulted in multiple people saying they despised their Pixels and to return the damn things before it was too late.

JackbyDev

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Do you mean Pixel 7 by chance? I've heard problems with it's sensor. I have the 6 and haven't noticed anything. Just curious mostly.

spaghettiwestern

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Pixel 6. From Android Authority:

Hate is a strong word to use in any context, so I’ll try my best to avoid that language. I very strongly dislike the Pixel 6’s fingerprint sensor.

Glad your experience is better than ours. Maybe Google fixed the problem.

Archer

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They immediately lost my business with no public followup on 911 dialer bugs on Pixels. Plus there is ALWAYS a huge hardware problem on flagship Pixels, every single generation. Went iPhone SE and really why would I ever move back?

andysteakfries

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I've had a lot of pixels in my family and the only one that had major issues was the Pixel 4.

I think you may be buying into overblown anecdotal nonsense.

CobraChicken

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As have I, and my experience is similar to the other guy.

Fingerprint on the 6 drove me nuts.

On 7 pro now. My tap to pay goes away randomly sometimes until I restart the phone. 7pro camera is hit and miss, mostly missed. Takes very detailed photos, but the quality is far worse than pixels older than pixel 6.

Archer

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There were multiple public reddit posts about a Pixel 911 dialer bug - NOT the Teams one that we already had, but a new one. No follow-up on that and from what I've heard it's more productive to scream into the void than contact Google support, so I picked up and left. Glad I did too, Android is death by a thousand laggy cuts compared to iOS. For me, the choice was simple: I need rock solid 911 support, immediate attention on critical bugs, and a phone that didn't lag. iPhone is the only major flagship that can do everything on that list

orca

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I’m pretty sure almost everything they make these days simply exists to obtain data from users first and foremost. They don’t want long term support or products that stick around forever; they want to add more and more vectors to build those profiles and record behaviors.

Ghostalmedia

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I will continue to go to them when I’m buying Android phkne because 3rd party manufacturers still suck at getting OS updates onto their phones. Even the best manufacturers have delays of weeks / months.

sin_free_for_00_days

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Expecting companies to be good citizens is crazy. Expecting consumers to be informed consumers is crazy. Our gov't needs to pass regulations about repairability for just about any consumer product. But expecting voters to be informed voters also seems crazy.

ScoobyDoo27

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And expecting our government to have the knowledge to regulate is crazy. I agree with you but our current government doesn’t have the slightest clue what technology is.

circasurvivor

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It seems to run on some form of electricity!

FinalRemix

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It's not just some truck you can dump things on... it's a series of tubes!

korny

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They've got the internet on computers now, eh?

cmbabul

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I understood that reference!

WindowsEnjoyer

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Google support for literally anything is non existent. Same could be said about Meta.

I am slowly shifting away from Google. Gmail and Google Photos is going to be the hardest. :/

Chobbes

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For those thinking of moving away from Gmail... I strongly recommend buying your own domain name so you actually own your address and can switch e-mail services whenever you want without needing a new e-mail address. Hell, I'd recommend this even if you're planning on staying with Gmail for a while.

Honestly, aside from having to point people at your new e-mail address... Gmail is not particularly hard to move away from, especially if you already use an external mail client. I don't really miss it, anyway. The only pain point I experience is that if somebody sends you a Google Doc / Sheet you need a Google account to edit it, but that's not a huge concern for me personally.

I'm self hosting my personal e-mail right now, and it's pretty great if you know how to do that stuff. Super cheap to host, and I can have as many aliases and send as many e-mails as I want. It's not for the faint of heart, but it's very doable if you already host your own stuff. Otherwise there's a bunch of e-mail services like Proton (kind of expensive, and a little annoying in that it's not just IMAP), Tutanota (dunno much about it), Fastmail, etc... But it's also worth mentioning that if you have a domain / VPS already your VPS provider and your registrar may both provide e-mail services that you can use... And if you just want to get out of Google and you have an iCloud+ account already (which is very possible if you have an iPhone and wanted more iCloud storage, but otherwise it's $0.99/mo) you can also use iCloud+ for e-mail with a custom domain.

rar

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How do you deal with your custom domain emails being flagged as spam? I did all the requirements (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and there still are some (e.g. old-fart gov or finantial institutions) that need a gmail address to communicate with.

Chobbes

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Often times when people complain about this there is some misconfiguration somewhere, which is admittedly hard to notice a lot of the time. One big gotcha with DKIM, for instance, is that TXT records have a limited size in DNS, so if you have a large key you likely cannot fit it within a single TXT record (an RSA 2048 key is too big, unfortunately). In theory you can split the key in DNS, but I'm not sure if every mail server will handle this correctly. Anyway, people will make an RSA 2048 key (or larger) and try to stuff it into a single TXT record and they might not notice that it doesn't fit (e.g., their DNS provider's interface may truncate the record silently). So, it's good to confirm after the fact that the records are good and working (there's a number of free services that will do that, e.g., https://www.learndmarc.com/).

The other thing that's a bigger deal than I think it should be is rDNS. The rDNS on the mail server really needs to be the same as the MX record or certain spam detectors flip out. If your MX record is mail.example.com, it seems like the spam detectors really want the rDNS to be mail.example.com and not example.com, for instance. You'll see some advice online that suggests that the rDNS record just has to exist and doesn't have to match exactly, but this has not been my experience.

Beyond that I have also registered for Outlook's SNDS and Google's Postmaster services, and I've also added myself to the whitelist here: dnswl.org/. I'm not sure how much of difference that makes, but it's something else you can try.

joel_feila

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Proton if you want email, privacy and cloud storage.

Edit I use murena and it comes with cloid storage and online only office suite

WindowsEnjoyer

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Already thinking about proton:)

havokdj

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I recommend tutanota, cheap clean and few frills.

CaptKoala

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I pay(my inner pirate is screaming) for proton's subscription and so far it's absolutely worth the cost. The only issue being, I have yet to make it work on my Orange pi. Other than that it's all smiles.

Babalugats

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You could look at trying immich. I haven't set it up yet, but it seems to be the solution to me moving away from Google photos. https://github.com/immich-app/immich

You can find more info on these

https://matrix.to/#/#selfhosted:selfhosted.chat

https://forum.r-selfhosted.com/

https://discord.gg/UrZKzYZfcS

WindowsEnjoyer

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Yup, I am aware about it. It's just dislaimers that look a bit scary (not production ready), even tho multiple users reported using it without any issues.

Nanabaz2

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I did set it up. Survive multiple upgrade in place just fine.

I can say it beats all my apps until now. The best part to me is delete from app request to delete from my Android as well. So unlike most, it works ironically like iPhone. And I prefer that

Nath

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I've had acceptable support for the pixel phone. I forget what went wrong, but I had a problem with one of my pixels, needed repair and they replaced it when it was just shy of two years old.

It sucked, because I had to send it to Hong Kong from Australia, and they then promptly sent me a replacement. But I was 5 days without a phone.

With Apple support, they have local presence and I've had same-day repair.

I have no intention of shifting away from Google. Their cloud service is great. I pay for it and my only complaint is there are stricter privacy policies on gsuite accounts that mean some Google services are incompatible. Which is a very clear endorsement of the old adage 'if you aren't paying for the service, you're the product'.

WindowsEnjoyer

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I've heard this story: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/22/google-csam-account-blocked

Imagine your primary email is no longer accessible. Your memories (images/video) is no longer accessible that dates back to 2014.

I am scared it might happen to me, so I am strongly considering moving away from Google products.

Yes, writing this from my pixel. Luckily, I can flash alternative OS to my Pixel, so I don't really mind having Pixel, but Google services? Nooo....

nehal3m

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I am in the Apple ecosystem, but this strategy is universal. Every month I am reminded by my calendar to make a backup. That means:

A Photos export to flat file format for photo and video

An iCal backup (easily imported elsewhere)

A vCard backup of contacts

A bookmark backup

A to do list export by pasting to a .md

Same for notes

I like the easy way an ecosystem lets all my things play nice together, but I don’t want to be beholden to it. This is an acceptable workaround to me.

Raxiel

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At the very least, periodic visits to Google Takeout.

Swarfega

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I moved from Gmail. I'll link to my previous comment to save trying it out again...

https://lemm.ee/comment/3347046

If I ever move away from Protonmail it will take about 5 mins for all my 300 websites to start sending emails to the new mailbox.

Pixelle

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Permanently Deleted

S_204

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LoL....so you gotta pay for a service? That's just crazy!?!

JC1

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For Gmail, I switched to fastmail. For google photos, I switched for immich.

The services that I still use from them are google maps, YouTube and SSO. They are all services that I wouldn't mind them shutting down. It's just that I find them much better than any alternatives.

WindowsEnjoyer

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How is immitch for you? I've been considering this for quite awhile.

JC1

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I installed this week, so I'm not a long time user. But it's by far the best self hosted photo app that I've used. Before that I used nextcloud, but the user experience isn't as good Imo.

The only things that I miss are automatic albums based on face recognition and pet recognition. I still use google photo to share with family though.

pureness

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For SSO, are you talking about Google Authenticator? I was able to switch to Aegis, which is just an open source alternative, but does the same thing, except you are not forced to back up to Google.

JC1

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This is TOTP. I use my password manager for that. I used to use Bitwarden, but I recently switched to 1password.

SSO means single sign on. If I sign on to Google, it automatically sign me on other apps. I use a forward auth on my self hosted services. I used to use authentik but I switched to google since it just works much better. If Google makes a shitty move in that department, I can always fall back to authentik.

I don't mind using proprietary softwares if they're good, I just prefer to think about an alternative in case I need to switch.

nitefox

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try with apple

WindowsEnjoyer

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I was considering this on and off, but never really attempted to do this.

Biggest dealbreaker was lack of USB-C cable, but here are few other issues:

No easy & free way to sideload apps.
No ability to install 3rd party OS.
No proper files management.
Clipboard and files sharing is still a joke. It works, but is uncomfortable as fuck.
Lack of cusotmization almost for every aspect of a phone.
Inability to self-repair. Apple made it harder on purpose.
Overpriced smartphones & gadgets.
Can't simply upload & download files from my PC (both Windows & Linux).
Shitty media format support.
Apple wallet does not support discount cards.
Buying an Apple device means I would literally support anti-consumer company with shitty behavior towards its users.

chimerical

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No ad blocking.

WindowsEnjoyer

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Mostly done by ad-blocking DNS server at home (or via VPN when I am away), but yeah - no ability on Apple. Also impossible to root.

I don't do root anymore, but I would love to have this available as an option. Opens much more possibilities.

pup_atlas

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This just, isn’t true? You can just download the Ad Block Plus Safari extension, just like you can on a desktop/laptop machine. You could even add a user script manager to block ads yourself if you’re so inclined. This has been in iOS for years, at least 4.

anakronos

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That only blocks Safari, no? Whah about the rest of the apps?

pup_atlas

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You can also use the system-wide ad blockers that function via iOS’s built in VPN functionality. That’s how Android does it too.

arc

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Apple doesn't allow "questionable" apps like emulators, bit torrent clients on its store and of course you can't sideload them either.

WindowsEnjoyer

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Yes, that's what I am saying. Apple decides for you. You are not the one who decides how to use your phone.

Chobbes

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I have an iPhone, but I will say for me the biggest deal breaker with it is absolutely not the lack of USB-C support (though that sucks and THANK GOD they're switching)... The lack of sideloading for apps is a much bigger problem IMO, because it's really hard for free and open source apps to even exist on iOS (which makes paid apps, subscriptions, and advertising much more common). Honestly, I'd care a lot less about the lack of sideloading if it wasn't for the other inconvenient facts, like the a $100/year developer license to publish anything on the App Store, or the fact that you pretty much need to have a Mac to develop for the iPhone... The $100/year developer license is just a death sentence for any open source apps and hobby / passion project apps. It's not thaaaat much money, but it's a lot to pay on top of putting in a bunch of free work to build an app in the first place.

nitefox

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Inability to self-repair. Apple made it harder on purpose.

Can you repair android phone nowadays? Afaik, they are just as hard as apple

Clipboard and files sharing is still a joke. It works, but is uncomfortable as fuck.

Never had a problem

No easy & free way to sideload apps.

this should come before March 2024

Overpriced smartphones & gadgets.

True for the gadgets, smartphones are just in line with other android phones but at least the phone is supported for 5-6 years and it doesn't go to shit after a few years of use

Shitty media format support.

Preach.

Buying an Apple device means I would literally support anti-consumer company with shitty behavior towards its users

Then buy no phone and remove google, etc. For a computer, buy a System76 et similia -but do not use Nvidia/AMD/intel GPU/CPU; no Samsung for SSD, no Intel network card etc.

Apple wallet does not support discount cards.

But you can?Maybe it's new, idk

Can't simply upload & download files from my PC (both Windows & Linux).

True. I use iCloud webApp on Linux or transfer the files on Mega

No proper files management.

It works for the most basic use cases

No ability to install 3rd party OS.

True, but on the other hand iOS is the reason you would buy an iPhone. I'm a power user on desktop but I can't be bothered on mobile: back when I had an android, I used the stock apps too and never did anything """weird""". I'm a desktop user throughout, so if I have to do anything I will just use my PC instead of relying on my phone

-- That said, if you don't mind paying:

try protonMail, there is the auto import and forward for gmail;
MEGA has a sync feature for the photos. I use it but on iOS it's not that great, for example the photos never get deleted but just uploaded;

WindowsEnjoyer

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So you basically confirmed my points 😅

nitefox

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Never said you were wrong lol

If you value freedom over comfort, then obviously an iPhone doesn't cut it

WindowsEnjoyer

•

freedom over comfort

With freedom comes the confort. It's me who should decide what I need, not Apple. Apple should adjust to my needs, not me to Apple.

nitefox

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With freedom comes comfort

lol, tell me that when you use a banking app outside the Google play services

Freedom [to install your own OS on a mobile device] for sure won’t bring me any comfort, and in fact it’s something I don’t care about.

Beside, it’s a naive take: Apple doesn’t force you to buy its phones so you can just go wherever. And I doubt most people who buy an android do so for the freedom to install their own OS

HotsauceHurricane

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Definitely falls under the “evil” company vibe.

orca

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My solution is to steer clear of Google products. They excel at producing disposable… everything.

Ghostalmedia

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I will continue to go to them when I’m buying Android phones because 3rd party manufacturers still suck at getting OS updates onto their phones. Even the best manufacturers have delays of weeks / months.

WHYAREWEALLCAPS

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Same, but I will not buy direct from them because of the their absolute shit customer service.

JoeBigelow

•

I just bought a Pixel 6a, from TigerDirect! Who knew they we're still kicking!

stochasticity

•

Ya, that and taking pictures of moving objects. I tried Samsung but the camera couldn't do kid photos unless I was outside on the brightest of days.

orca

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The only way I was able to get continued OS support and updates was by going the way of installing custom ROMs, which is absolutely not ideal. It’s also the only reason my backup Nexus 5 is still kicking.

Ghostalmedia

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I was mostly referring to update timeliness, but yeah, continued support is an issue. Google only promises 3 years of major releases for Pixels. The Nexus was even worse.

Still a far stretch from Apple, who’s usually going 5 or 6 years of major OS releases, and then security updates on top of that.

crab

•

Apparently the replacement parts for their phones are significantly cheaper than almost every other manufacturer. (I have just been hearing this so I don't know for sure if it's true, correct me if I'm wrong.)

Overall their phones seem to just be to a high standard. 5 years of support and other components that make them the choice for GrapheneOS (Privacy/Security focused rom that has greatly contributed to upstream Android)

books

•

Tbf isn't that every tech product? There's absolutely no reason apple needs to release 7 different models of phone every year when they really don't make any large changes. Do one every two years.

Absolutely bonkers

Amir

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Their phones are up there in software support at least. Only true contender at this point is Samsung.

coffee

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Samsung phones are so full of bloatware, I'll never buy them again.

EnderMB

•

Sadly, this sums up just how bad the Android ecosystem is. Google and Samsung are both notoriously shit, yet they're still the best when other consumer brands don't want to compete and just want to get something out to churn profit.

I say this almost yearly, but the Android marketplace has never looked so poor.

coffee

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I'm happy with OnePlus. Will never touch an Apple device, they are so unintuitive and locked down. If android follows that trend, I'd rather have no phone.

EnderMB

•

My main phone is still my OnePlus 6 (after being a proud user of the OnePlus 1), and after a battery replacement it's still working extremely well. Sadly, they have regressed over the years, and seem to just rip off whatever Apple does, so I can't support any phones after the 6.

I've had bad experiences with Google (outside of phones) and Samsung in the past, so hesitant to support them. Being an Android user often feels like being surrounded by manufacturers that could create a top-class phone that ticks most people's boxes, with history of doing just that - but for some reason choosing not to. Asus, Nokia, Sony, hell even Microsoft could probably easily build a phone with great features, a near-stock experience, and robust hardware, but the Android market is a choice in picking a flaw you can live with.

For all Apple's faults, their users rarely are left wanting for more, and the incremental "improvements" still seem to have fans happily wanting to buy the latest tat. Android users, in comparison, expect more, and always end up disappointed.

arc

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Not just bloatware but some Samsung phones also have malware that installs garbage without consent and has a no obvious way to turn off unless you know the app is called appcloud and go disable it.

Amir

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I typed that (and this) comment from a Pixel 7 for a reason lol

Tick_Dracy

•

This a good advice. I do the same to everything Google related. Now also applying the same to Microsoft, since they produce a lot os disposable garbage (Xbox, Surface).

KingThrillgore

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Cool i'll just buy a watch that can be repaired then

agent_flounder

•

I think I will stick to my dumb watches, thanks. Mechanical or quartz.

TheBat

•

M0oP0o

•

I always see the software working people go nutty for the new hardware and dohickies.

Meanwhile a lot of people I knew who worked on hardware live in the woods "off grid".

______

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I know a hardware guy that lives on a farm and uses raspberry pi for his garden hoses.

M0oP0o

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Yeah that tracks. Doubt they are buying the apple solution for water management.

JackbyDev

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I tried to set it up but couldn't keep it from leaking and spent more than I would've on a smart hose timer.

TheBat

•

Programmed with an open source application, no doubt.

orca

•

My dream life.

agent_flounder

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Eventually I hope to get my garden smartened up with water and rain sensors and an open sprinkler controller.

vacuumflower

•

If by "software" you mean Web or Java or something like that, then, well, for the purpose of this conversation they are enthusiasts.

While people working on hardware are forced to get some understanding of how the world around us works.

M0oP0o

•

I think the difference is simply between who has to go on site to fix an issue and those who "theoretically" could.

MeanEYE

•

So true. The more I work with all these services and social networks the fewer of them I have. More to the point, I have bunch of devices around my home which are IoT and similar but almost none have access to internet, printer included. Funny thing is, my friends keep asking why am I slowly removing my presence from all of tech even though I am on forefront of it... but when I go and explain how each search can be exploited and abused they laugh and say naaah that will never happen or "I don't have anything to hide"... and it keeps happening and privacy keeps leaking.

agent_flounder

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Some people have a hard time imagining bad outcomes or "thinking like a bad guy". I guess that's why infosec people are needed lol.

noobnarski

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(Almost) my entire house is smart, but nothing talks to the cloud anymore.

So nobody can get that data except me. Some exceptions are that I dont have or want smart locks, that just seems to insecure and unreliable.

agent_flounder

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Though in IT, I do have a (limited) smart home but also old tech like a 40s Western Electric phone, a few 1920s-40s typewriters, a few vintage woodworking tools, myriad vintage and new fountain pens (I use them to take notes... you know, on paper gasp). I have and wear lots of budget watches (err, but, one at a time) ... from the 1890s - present, mechanical and quartz.

The nicest oldest ones are a 1895 Elgin hunter pocket watch (ladies size 6) and a 1930s Hamilton open face size 10. I often wear vintage wristwatches: Bulova, Elgin, Waltham, Timex, and Seiko. I have more modern ones including Fortis, Orient, Casio, Bulova, and more.

grayman

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My G Shock is super reliable and will never need a battery. No way I'm swapping it out for some fragile piece of junk screen that mostly displays a clock that dies every few days.

agent_flounder

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Yup, some great g-shocks out there. I have dw5600. Awesome watch. Some day I will get the 5610.

M0oP0o

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I have had the same automatic (self winding) for over a decade. Wear it almost everyday, it gets beat up and used hard but still works great. And no batteries is nice.

agent_flounder

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Nice, what brand?

I like mechanical watches a lot although I don't like the service cost lol.

M0oP0o

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Well this one is more of a happy accident. It is a Fossil, and was a warranty replacement for a battery watch I bought. Have had not much luck with the battery Fossils but they seem to make a solid (or did not sure if they still do) automatics.

agent_flounder

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Sweet. I've heard good things in the past about 'em over on watchuseek forum.

serratur

•

This is peak "smart" watch for me: Sony-Ericsson MBW-100

Having something similar with modern technology the battery life would be much longer, I don't need a wrist phone.

orca

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I wear a Shark Leash every day. I lost my Apple Watch and haven’t missed it at all.

buru5

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i bought a P-Watch due to the circular aesthetic, have been wearing mine since release. it's "OK" but last week i fell on my bicycle and scratched up the watch face pretty badly, so QUITE annoying that there is no repair program.

doesn't matter though, switching to a classic Cassio watch soon anyways. "Smart Watches" aren't that helpful for me, ultimately i don't understand the appeal. it's just PHONE ON WRIST, seems like another way to "PLUG INTO THE MATRIX"

Cethin

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I don't wear mine anymore really, but the use case for it for me was to see notifications quickly and easily without taking my attention away from whoever I am with. You can quickly just glance at your watch to see if the text/phone call/email is important or not and then just twist your wrist to dismiss.

soggy_kitty

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I used to think I had to decide if I wanted to reply to a notification immediately.

Besides my smart doorbell notification and actual phone calls everything else can wait an hour until I finish what I'm doing. And for those two exceptions they have special vibration patterns in my pocket.

Don't be that guy who has to reply to notifications immediately

saunjay1

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Not all notifications need replying to, and it's sometimes nice to have them be glanceable. I don't use a smartwatch per say, the battery life on them suck, but my Garmin watch still has some of the same general functionality along with the fitness stuff I mostly have it for. Plus underrated feature for me is using it to ring my phone when I can't find it ha

Cethin

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The point is I don't feel the need to reply to almost any notification immediately. There are emergencies that can't wait sometimes though.

Drewelite

•

I agree on principal, but unfortunately in today's world there's things like work that demand an immediate response. Is it healthy? Nope. Do they care? Nope.

Ejh3k

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I wear my smart watch exclusively at work because when I'm on or around heavy machinery, I need to know if that little alert was something important or not. Otherwise I'd be checking my phone every five minutes. But I don't have to stop or slow down to check my wrist.

MyUnclesSecret

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Never understood the appeal of Dick Tracey's phone watch, still don't understand them now that the are real.

Burn_The_Right

•

So they should be labelled "disposable" and priced accordingly.

troutsushi

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Oooooh, that's a neat idea in light of the current EU legislation concerning the Right to Repair: Introduce a mandatory, highly visible, and standardized seal that all electronic devices have to display on the front of their box:

Repairable

Disposable

phoenixz

•

Then tax the shit out of disposable products please as we already waste way too much

NutWrench

•

Do the same thing with phones that have non-replaceable batteries, too.

AngryCommieKender

•

I would also suggest mandatory price caps on disposable products, to incentivize the elimination of production of such devices.

troutsushi

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It'd be more fitting to mandate every product to include its ecological price. Disposable vapes, for example, would disappear instantly.

AngryCommieKender

•

Also a good idea. I'm trying to make it too expensive to manufacture the vapes, you're making them too expensive to purchase.

CrowAirbrush

•

Seems to me that €2,50 is a fair price for a throwaway watch.

Madex

•

Even then it feels like disposable cup kinda bad

FrankTheHealer

•

Yeah fuck all of that.

Nioxic

•

Ever since the eu repair bill came out, my goal is to not buy electronics until i can get electronics that comply with that law.

autotldr

•

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Google makes a big deal out of its partnership with iFixit and the availability of replacement parts for its products, but one Google product that doesn't seem fixable is the Pixel Watch.

After spotting some posts from Pixel Watch users seeking a remedy after cracking the glass and coming up with no clear answers, The Verge got Google to confirm that, even 11 months after launch, there is no repair plan right now.

Google can't fix your watch.

The whole top half of the watch is one big glass hemisphere, so it's not difficult to bang one of the glass corners into something and shatter the watch.

This might all seem like it's against the spirit of Google's big repairability announcement in 2022, but that blog post says the program is for Pixel phones, not any of the other stuff Google sells.

With the Pixel Watch 2 coming out soon, we'll be sure to ask Google if there are any repair plans this time.

The original article contains 216 words, the summary contains 164 words. Saved 24%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

TheSaneWriter

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The amount of E-Waste our society generates is truly abhorrent. It will take hundreds of thousands of hours and countless amounts of money for future generations to fix this.

OberonSwanson

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Pretty clear stuff like this is why we’re speed running to a dystopian future. Hopefully Googles profits can survive. /s

etuomaala

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Shame on Google!

Also, look what I found...

etuomaala

•

Interestingly, even Pine64's smart watch requires you to silly cone glue the two case halves together if you want it to be waterproof. It does give you that option, though, which is cool.

Blackmist

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I don't mind that excuse about my Mi Band 6, because it was like £25.

I would mind that excuse when we're talking about a £339 smartwatch. So I won't buy one.

I won't buy a Fitbit either, because the wife had one and every week was a complex dance of restarting the phone and watch several times until they agreed to connect to each other.

Saneless

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And they pretty much have made most of the utility locked behind an $80 subscription

No thanks

radostin04

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Why would a smartwatch need a subscription?? what does it even do?

TheLowestStone

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Without the subscription, you have to pay 99 cents to check the time.

GoblinMan

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I get Google bad but what watch face is that in the thumbnail of the link?

meatballs

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Concentric!

Scrof

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Aren't all smart watches just e-waste? Always found them ridiculously redundant and wasteful. I mean my gshock is still on the same battery after 11 years and it's still precise, has a calendar, alarm clocks, timers, backlighting and went through hell and back. I used to swim and take showers without taking it off, crawling in a desert, all sorts of abuse with not even a scratch.

FinalRemix

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I've got a Pebble and an original recipe Vivoactive. They're both workin' perfectly fine after all these years, battery lasts about 5 days because I have the GPS, schedule/alarms, and messaging enabled.

Once the pebble battery becomes a spicy pillow, I'll replace it. I swim, shower, everything with these watches. They've both been through hell and back, and I think there's a small scuff on one of them, at most.

from_the_black_lagoon

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not OP but I still don't understand instead of turning your wrist, just pulling out your phone for the same if not better features

everett

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It's not always easy to pull out your phone, especially if you're sitting. You don't always have free hands. Your phone isn't always on your person. Stuff like that. Also, it's really nice to, at a glance, see what the notification is and know that you don't even have to bother pulling out your phone.

FinalRemix

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So, I teach. Having a text just go "zzt" on my wrist, I can check the sender at a glance, and if it's important, check the phone. Same with calls. Otherwise I can dismiss it and check later.

I also have my watches set up with reminders for things lile "10 mins left to class" that silently buzzes in my wrist so I know to wrap up, and both track my movement and sleep. Fun bits of data for myself, to see if I'm sleeping poorly or being as lazy as I think I am one day. The pebble even has an 8:30PM wrap-up for the day that tracks my average steps and lets me know if i'm ahead or behind my usual.

They're useful when a phone would be too many features or too much noise.

WiseMoth

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I wouldn’t say so. My Apple Watch shows a ridiculous amount of useful information on my watch face and I can easily find any other info I need with it. It’s also got a lot of health and fitness features which can be extremely helpful and potentially life saving. In addition to all of that, the rest of the features are helpful too. Whether some might find them to be redundant or intrusive, I and clearly many others find them to be useful. Just because you don’t find a use for it, doesn’t make it bad.

Tick_Dracy

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Also the same applies with Xbox Series consoles. Mine stopped working and Micro$oft doesn’t fix it. They tell me to pay almost full price for a refurbished one… or buy a brand new one.

Tikiporch

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What's a warranty worth then?

Tick_Dracy

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Sorry, maybe I was not clear with my post: they replace your console while within the warranty period (2 years before January 2022, 3 years after). If something happens past the warranty time (like the console stops turning on by itself, like mine), you’re screwed! They don’t fix it, neither sell parts. And even worst, since the drive, NVME and motherboard are all serialised, you can’t just swap them for other good parts.

Fucking scum of a company. Like someone said before, these kind of companies should be fined until the ground!