Google: Difference between revisions

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No menu option to change this behaviour was given to the user, therefore users who wanted to restore normal write access were forced to resort to unofficial methods involving bootloader unlocking and rooting.

It should be noted that Google's own Android smartphones and tablet computers (Nexus and Pixel devices) never featured a memory card slot. Similar restrictions were later added to USB on-the-go storage.<ref name=android-traditional-storage>{{cite web |url=https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional |~~title~~=~~Traditional storage |~~ Android ~~Open Source Project~~ }}</ref>

It should be noted that Google's own Android smartphones and tablet computers (Nexus and Pixel devices) never featured a memory card slot. Similar restrictions were later added to USB on-the-go storage.<ref name=android-traditional-storage>{{cite web |title=Traditional storage | Android Open Source Project |url=https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional |url-status=live |website=Android}}</ref>

In 2018, Google added a clipboard manager to their keyboard app, Gboard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.xda-developers.com/gboard-clipboard-manager/ |title=Gboard 7.7 adds a Clipboard Manager feature to Google's keyboard app }}</ref> But in 2022, Google decided on behalf of their users that they don't need to retain clipboard items for any longer than one hour. Therefore, they added a one-hour time limit, meaning any clipboard item older than one hour is automatically deleted, with no option to change this behaviour. The only way to retain clipboard items for more than one hour is to manually mark them as "pinned".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://techzle.com/remember-android-13-clears-clipboard-1-hour-after-copying |~~title~~=~~Remember: Android 13 clears clipboard 1 hour after copying~~}}</ref>

In 2018, Google added a clipboard manager to their keyboard app, Gboard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.xda-developers.com/gboard-clipboard-manager/ |title=Gboard 7.7 adds a Clipboard Manager feature to Google's keyboard app }}</ref> But in 2022, Google decided on behalf of their users that they don't need to retain clipboard items for any longer than one hour. Therefore, they added a one-hour time limit, meaning any clipboard item older than one hour is automatically deleted, with no option to change this behaviour. The only way to retain clipboard items for more than one hour is to manually mark them as "pinned".<ref>{{cite web |first=Ethan |last=Gillian |title=Remember: Android 13 clears clipboard 1 hour after copying |url=https://techzle.com/remember-android-13-clears-clipboard-1-hour-after-copying |url-status=live |website=Techzle |date=17 Aug 2022}}</ref>

In 2019, Google took away the ability to turn off the "pull-to-refresh" gesture on the mobile edition of their Chrome web browser, following by refusing to reinstate the option after an abnormally high number of complaints that the gesture causes accidental refreshes. See [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome § Mandatory pull-to-refresh]].

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====Phone number requirement for new accounts (2020)====

Since 2020, Google has increasingly forced users to verify phone-numbers via SMS during account registration,<ref>https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/34403939/cannot-create-a-new-google-account-it-is-requiring-a-phone-number-forced-phone-verification</ref><ref>https://reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oanh2p/does_google_now_require_a_phone_number_to_make/</ref> in an effort to "mitigate spam, bot activity, and account abuse"<ref>{{Cite web |~~first~~=CLRN |date=2025-07-25 |title=How to skip phone verification while creating Gmail account? |url=https://www.clrn.org/how-to-skip-phone-verification-while-creating-gmail-account/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=California Learning Resource Network}}</ref>. They have a system that immediately detects reuse of numbers, so no accounts can have the same associated number.{{Citation needed}} This, paired with [[YouTube#Forced sign-in|YouTube's sign-in requirement]], makes it impossible for users to share a single "guest" account, as is typically the case for families sharing a smart TV.

Since 2020, Google has increasingly forced users to verify phone-numbers via SMS during account registration,<ref>https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/34403939/cannot-create-a-new-google-account-it-is-requiring-a-phone-number-forced-phone-verification</ref><ref>https://reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oanh2p/does_google_now_require_a_phone_number_to_make/</ref> in an effort to "mitigate spam, bot activity, and account abuse"<ref>{{Cite web |author=CLRN |date=2025-07-25 |title=How to skip phone verification while creating Gmail account? |url=https://www.clrn.org/how-to-skip-phone-verification-while-creating-gmail-account/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=California Learning Resource Network}}</ref>. They have a system that immediately detects reuse of numbers, so no accounts can have the same associated number.{{Citation needed}} This, paired with [[YouTube#Forced sign-in|YouTube's sign-in requirement]], makes it impossible for users to share a single "guest" account, as is typically the case for families sharing a smart TV.

====Blocking sideloading of unverified Android apps (Aug 2025)====

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 No menu option to change this behaviour was given to the user, therefore users who wanted to restore normal write access were forced to resort to unofficial methods involving bootloader unlocking and rooting.
-It should be noted that Google's own Android smartphones and tablet computers (Nexus and Pixel devices) never featured a memory card slot. Similar restrictions were later added to USB on-the-go storage.<ref name=android-traditional-storage>{{cite web |url=https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional |title=Traditional storage  &#x7c;  Android Open Source Project }}</ref>
+It should be noted that Google's own Android smartphones and tablet computers (Nexus and Pixel devices) never featured a memory card slot. Similar restrictions were later added to USB on-the-go storage.<ref name=android-traditional-storage>{{cite web |title=Traditional storage &#124; Android Open Source Project |url=https://source.android.com/docs/core/storage/traditional |url-status=live |website=Android}}</ref>
-In 2018, Google added a clipboard manager to their keyboard app, Gboard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.xda-developers.com/gboard-clipboard-manager/ |title=Gboard 7.7 adds a Clipboard Manager feature to Google's keyboard app }}</ref> But in 2022, Google decided on behalf of their users that they don't need to retain clipboard items for any longer than one hour. Therefore, they added a one-hour time limit, meaning any clipboard item older than one hour is automatically deleted, with no option to change this behaviour. The only way to retain clipboard items for more than one hour is to manually mark them as "pinned".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://techzle.com/remember-android-13-clears-clipboard-1-hour-after-copying |title=Remember: Android 13 clears clipboard 1 hour after copying}}</ref>
+In 2018, Google added a clipboard manager to their keyboard app, Gboard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.xda-developers.com/gboard-clipboard-manager/ |title=Gboard 7.7 adds a Clipboard Manager feature to Google's keyboard app }}</ref> But in 2022, Google decided on behalf of their users that they don't need to retain clipboard items for any longer than one hour. Therefore, they added a one-hour time limit, meaning any clipboard item older than one hour is automatically deleted, with no option to change this behaviour. The only way to retain clipboard items for more than one hour is to manually mark them as "pinned".<ref>{{cite web |first=Ethan |last=Gillian |title=Remember: Android 13 clears clipboard 1 hour after copying |url=https://techzle.com/remember-android-13-clears-clipboard-1-hour-after-copying |url-status=live |website=Techzle |date=17 Aug 2022}}</ref>
 In 2019, Google took away the ability to turn off the "pull-to-refresh" gesture on the mobile edition of their Chrome web browser, following by refusing to reinstate the option after an abnormally high number of complaints that the gesture causes accidental refreshes. See [[Google_Chrome#Mandatory_pull-to-refresh|Google Chrome § Mandatory pull-to-refresh]].
@@ Line 139: / Line 139: @@
 ====Phone number requirement for new accounts (2020)====
-Since 2020, Google has increasingly forced users to verify phone-numbers via SMS during account registration,<ref>https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/34403939/cannot-create-a-new-google-account-it-is-requiring-a-phone-number-forced-phone-verification</ref><ref>https://reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oanh2p/does_google_now_require_a_phone_number_to_make/</ref> in an effort to "mitigate spam, bot activity, and account abuse"<ref>{{Cite web |first=CLRN |date=2025-07-25 |title=How to skip phone verification while creating Gmail account? |url=https://www.clrn.org/how-to-skip-phone-verification-while-creating-gmail-account/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=California Learning Resource Network}}</ref>. They have a system that immediately detects reuse of numbers, so no accounts can have the same associated number.{{Citation needed}} This, paired with [[YouTube#Forced sign-in|YouTube's sign-in requirement]], makes it impossible for users to share a single "guest" account, as is typically the case for families sharing a smart TV.
+Since 2020, Google has increasingly forced users to verify phone-numbers via SMS during account registration,<ref>https://support.google.com/accounts/thread/34403939/cannot-create-a-new-google-account-it-is-requiring-a-phone-number-forced-phone-verification</ref><ref>https://reddit.com/r/degoogle/comments/oanh2p/does_google_now_require_a_phone_number_to_make/</ref> in an effort to "mitigate spam, bot activity, and account abuse"<ref>{{Cite web |author=CLRN |date=2025-07-25 |title=How to skip phone verification while creating Gmail account? |url=https://www.clrn.org/how-to-skip-phone-verification-while-creating-gmail-account/ |url-status=live |access-date=2026-05-05 |website=California Learning Resource Network}}</ref>. They have a system that immediately detects reuse of numbers, so no accounts can have the same associated number.{{Citation needed}} This, paired with [[YouTube#Forced sign-in|YouTube's sign-in requirement]], makes it impossible for users to share a single "guest" account, as is typically the case for families sharing a smart TV.
 ====Blocking sideloading of unverified Android apps (Aug 2025)====