Giving lifetime Pro access to my countdown & reminder app

Hey everyone!

I'm an indie developer and I just launched Countdown Pro on Google Play. To celebrate, I'm giving away free lifetime Pro subscriptions to this community.

What it's for:
\-Counting down to the moments that matter — birthdays, weddings, trips, exams, launches, holidays
\-Setting reminders so you never miss a deadline or important date
\-Staying productive by keeping your goals and deadlines in front of you

How to get your free lifetime code:
1-Download the app here 👉 Click here to Download the app
2-Comment below with one event you're counting down to or a reminder you'd set — a vacation, a deadline, a big day, anything!
3-DM me and I'll send your promo code 🎟️

Codes are limited, so first come, first served.

I'd also really love your honest feedback — what you like, what's missing, and what would make it more useful for you. Every suggestion helps a solo dev a lot. 🙏

Thanks, and good luck with whatever you're counting down to!

https://redd.it/1x8bpbp
@reddit_android

Can we talk about how shamelessly Android OEMs are copying iOS's Liquid Glass UI? Thank God Pixel is actually sticking to its own identity.

It is honestly exhausting watching the current state of Android skins. Ever since Apple dropped the "Liquid Glass" aesthetic in iOS, almost every major Android OEM—Vivo (OriginOS), Oppo (ColorOS), Xiaomi (HyperOS), OnePlus—has tripped over themselves to copy it screen-for-screen.

The translucent frosted blurs, the bubbly rounded toggles, the exact same floating menu bars and dynamic island clones... it is a shameless 1:1 rip-off.

What frustrates me the most isn't just the copying itself—it's the complete lack of ambition. The whole point of Android is supposed to be variety, freedom, and distinct character. These brands have massive design teams and incredible hardware, yet they willingly throw away their own visual identity just to look like a knockoff iPhone. It screams insecurity, like they are telling their own buyers, "We know you secretly wanted an iPhone, so we made our software pretend to be one."

Right now, Google's Pixel UI feels like the only breath of fresh air left. With Material 3 Expressive, Pixel actually has a spine. It uses bold colors, distinct geometry, and fluid motion that doesn't look anything like iOS. Even Google's Android boss publicly shot down the idea of bringing Liquid Glass to Pixel, and honestly, thank God for that.

What blows my mind is how normal this has become. People in the community just shrug and say "everyone copies everyone" or "it looks smooth, who cares?" Taking inspiration on a useful feature is one thing; copy-pasting an entire aesthetic direction because you're afraid to be different is pathetic.

Why isn't there more pushback on this? Do people actually want their Android phones to look like iOS clones, or have we just given up on OEMs having their own character?

https://redd.it/1x6xbvw
@reddit_android

Galaxy S27 Ultra Could Switch to Exynos 2700 Over Snapdragon Heating Issues
https://sammyguru.com/galaxy-s27-ultra-snapdragon-overheating/

https://redd.it/1xaxenh
@reddit_android

Samsung Electronics Begins Wafer Production of Exynos 2700, Expanding Volume by More Than 10%
https://finance.biggo.com/news/fc2adcc4-3575-439b-944a-ea8a2dcc011b

https://redd.it/1xayipg
@reddit_android

Are we reaching a point where we can't trust brand update promises anymore?

It feels like every brand is competing to promise 4, 5, or even 7 years of major OS updates just to sell a phone at launch.But lately, we're seeing more cases where a phone gets cut short or a major update gets quietly canceled down the line because the mid-range or budget hardware apparently "can't handle it." It makes the whole update marketing war feel entirely meaningless if companies can just change their minds later.

When you buy a phone, do you actually buy it expecting it to get those later years of support, or do you just buy it for what the software can do right now? What's the worst time a brand broke a software promise on you?

https://redd.it/1x6zeez
@reddit_android

Powerful hardware, but by no means flawless - Xiaomi 18 Fold review
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Xiaomi-18-Fold-review-Big-display-big-performance-big-compromises.1428903.0.html

https://redd.it/1xb2378
@reddit_android

I finally gave up the headphone jack and I hate it.

I know I'm about 10 years late to this complaint but I finally bought a new phone without a 3.5mm headphone jack. I resisted for as long as I could but apparently wanting to plug a pair of headphones into your phone is now an unreasonable demand.

And I absolutely hate it.

I have Galaxy Buds 2, so it's not like I'm new to wireless earphones. I use them regularly. But I liked having the option of wired headphones. Especially at night when I'm lying in bed listening to something and don't want to worry about another bloody device running out of battery. Now I have to remember to charge my phone, charge the earbuds, charge their case, and hope everything has enough battery when I actually want to use it.

Then there's the audio delay. Bluetooth has improved considerably but there's still latency, particularly with games. Wired headphones just worked. You plugged them in and got sound. No pairing, no connection issues, no batteries, no wondering why the audio is suddenly coming out of the phone speaker.

And before someone suggests a USB-C adapter, yes, I know they exist. But now I need to carry around another little accessory just to use something that worked perfectly fine before. And if I want to charge my phone while listening to wired headphones, I need yet another adapter. Not to mention the USB-C port is already being used for charging and data transfer, and now we're supposed to put even more wear on it.

What annoys me most is that we actually lost functionality. This wasn't some obsolete technology that had stopped being useful. The headphone jack worked perfectly well. It was universal, cheap, reliable and didn't require charging. And somehow the industry managed to convince everyone that removing it was progress.

I remember when phones competed by giving us more features. Now they remove features and sell us accessories to compensate.

I understand why companies prefer wireless audio. What I don't understand is why the existence of Bluetooth headphones meant the headphone jack had to disappear. We could have had both. For years we did have both.

Anyway, I know this battle was lost a decade ago. Just wanted to complain now that I've finally been forced to surrender.

Anyone else still miss the headphone jack or have we all just accepted this nonsense

https://redd.it/1x6gbyz
@reddit_android

HMD is preparing to withdraw from select markets and scale down production for its global device portfolio, shifting its core focus toward regional markets and the enterprise/industrial sector.

https://x.com/smashx_60/status/2110272650350318017

https://redd.it/1x6h0f7
@reddit_android

Coolpad has opened pre-orders for its Cool X Wide smartphone in China. It features a 6.38-inch 16:10 display
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Coolpad-unveils-wide-screen-smartphone-with-12GB-RAM-256GB-storage-and-TF-card-support.1428568.0.html

https://redd.it/1xb8mjv
@reddit_android

Arm wants up to $65 per Qualcomm chip with custom cores, trial figures suggest
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Arm-s-v10-royalty-demand-equals-up-to-30-of-a-220-Snapdragon-chip-s-price-trial-figures-suggest.1429935.0.html

https://redd.it/1xbybk0
@reddit_android

TechTablets - Oppo Find X10 Pro Max Vs Xiaomi 18 Pro Max Vs Vivo X500 Pro Max Camera Comparison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPNgUaR3fG4

https://redd.it/1xcosac
@reddit_android

Samsung to Equip Galaxy S28 With 2nm 5G Modems to Boost Battery Life
https://www.androidheadlines.com/2026/10/samsung-2nm-5g-modem-galaxy-s28.html

https://redd.it/1xcoqr6
@reddit_android

Get hands-free personalized help on the road with Gemini - Google blog
https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/platforms/android/android-auto-cars-with-google-built-in-gemini-personal-intelligence/

https://redd.it/1xcrdn2
@reddit_android

YouTube removing 'Subscriptions' bottom bar tab on Android, iOS
https://9to5google.com/2026/10/22/youtube-subscriptions-android-ios/

https://redd.it/1xd0tap
@reddit_android

what is that one android feature you literally cannot live without and what is your runner up

we all know android has a million little customization tricks and smart features that ios users can only dream about. whether it is universal back gestures, split screen multitasking, proper file system access, or just changing your default launcher entirely.

if you had to pick the single android feature you use every single day that would make you miserable if you switched away, what is it? and what is your runner-up feature that comes right behind it?

https://redd.it/1xcw9tj
@reddit_android

LineageOS 24 review: Easier than ever to recommend [Video]
https://9to5google.com/2026/10/22/lineageos-24-review/

https://redd.it/1xcocdb
@reddit_android

Honor's new gaming phone & tablet have 10,000+ mAh batteries, fans, up to 240Hz OLED display
https://9to5google.com/2026/10/21/honors-new-gaming-phone-tablet-have-10000-mah-batteries-fans-up-to-240hz-oled-display/

https://redd.it/1xbxaxj
@reddit_android

Oppo Find X10 Pro Max, gsmarena

The 'want it' factor is awakened :O)

"The Find X10 Pro Max isn't merely a well-rounded flagship; it genuinely raises the bar in several important areas, particularly camera performance and battery endurance."

https://www.gsmarena.com/oppo\_find\_x10\_pro\_max-review-3008.php

https://redd.it/1xbxnju
@reddit_android

Built a minimalist launcher with zero analytics SDKs compiled into the APK

A lot of "digital detox" apps on Google Play come loaded with tracking libraries like Firebase, Crashlytics, and third-party ad SDKs.

Other apps claim to help you put your phone down while quietly tracking your screen time and session lengths in the background.

When I was planning dialed, I wanted a clean break from that. There are zero analytics SDKs in the build. No telemetry, no user tracking, and no account setup.

The app is completely open about what touches the internet. The weather widget pulls forecast data from Open-Meteo using approximate location if you turn it on. The optional daily briefing is put together on the phone without sending data to a server. Everything else stays in local Android DataStore on your device.

It runs on Kotlin and Jetpack Compose. Plain text home screen, custom app labels, hidden apps drawer, double-tap to lock, handy widgets, add friction to addicting apps...

No subscription, no ads.

If you want to check the APK traffic yourself, it is live on Google Play as "minimalist dumb phone - dialed"

The downside of having no analytics means I purely rely on user feedback, and some really kind people who gave me improvements ideas. I'm glad for my community i have found and I can't recommend enough to other app developers to do the same.

Ta

https://redd.it/1xbf6jw
@reddit_android

My app turns your rooted phone into a Bluetooth speaker.

I created an app that turns your phone into a Bluetooth speaker by enabling the ad2p sink profile. Must have read access should work on most devices if you tried and it doesn't work let me know which phone you're using and I'll see if I can get it going for you. This link is the GitHub repo for this app you can download it under releases. https://github.com/JeremyDoege89/BtReceiver

https://redd.it/1xbkzmt
@reddit_android

Why did Google remove native per-app internet blocking from stock Android?

One of the most frustrating regressions in modern Android is the loss of basic system-level control over app internet access.

In older Android builds and on certain OEM skins (like MIUI on my Redmi Note 10), blocking an app from accessing the network was effortless: open app settings, toggle off Wi-Fi and Mobile Data, and you're done. It was ideal for privacy, stopping invasive ads in offline games, and preventing background bandwidth hogging.

Now, on modern stock Android and newer Android tablets (like my POCO Tab), that native toggle is gone or stripped down to just limiting "background data." If you connect to Wi-Fi, every single app on your device gets internet access unless you run a third-party local VPN firewall that often doesn't even work, which in itself is a clunky workaround for a feature that used to be built-in.

Why would Google strip away basic user control over network permissions? Has anyone found a clean way around this without running a persistent VPN service?

TLDR: Older Android builds and custom skins (like MIUI) let you block any app from accessing Wi-Fi or Mobile Data with a simple toggle. Modern Android stripped native Wi-Fi blocking, forcing reliance on clunky third-party firewalls. Why remove basic user network control, and are there any clean workarounds?

Edit: Sp

https://redd.it/1xamxge
@reddit_android