Drivers of cars from the Volkswagen Group using alternative Android versions like GrapheneOS, LineageOS, or /e/OS have been unable to use the VW app for some time. This means they can neither check their vehicle’s remaining range from their phone, schedule service appointments, nor control charging and air conditioning. The car manufacturer has made changes to the app’s backend that only allow devices with Google’s pre-installed Play Services. When asked by heise online, VW stated that affected users should not expect a timely reopening. “However, they are looking into it.”
↫ Andreas Floemer at Heise.de
Clearly, this should be illegal. Then again, that has never stopped Volkswagen before.
Thom Holwerda,
This is why modern companies suck. They don’t give a crap about openness or owner rights. I hate this with a passion. On top of things getting worse with the car itself, there’s coercive pressure to force everyone into the mobile duopoly. Leave Indy phones at home because they aren’t welcome. As much as I hate this though, I also know that, short of government regulators coming in and putting their foot down, this is the future whether I like it or not. Maybe the EU, who are more progressive on owner rights might step in? In the US the government works for big business and they don’t even pretend that consumer rights matter.
This video is about the enshitification of everything, with an emphasis on cars. There’s also a rant about AI somewhere in there that you’ll like 🙂
“I Bought And Restored “Old” Technology To Prove The Economy Is Imploding”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_0xBbEFjLk
He fixes up an ancient car at great expense to himself, just to avoid cars with lower quality standards and antifeatures, but even he acknowledges that that can’t last forever. everything is turning to shit.
Alfman,
I used to have a volkwagen EV, they came with something called vw carnet (or similar, it has been years). That was on 3G network, or maybe even 2G, and as soon as their contract expired, they stopped updating
Worse?
You could not even pay for a replacement. A fundamental feature, like being able to access your car from a phone, setting up your charge schedule, or pre-warm in the winter was gone forever with no fix.
Volkswagen response: “You can buy our new vehicle”
I did not buy their new vehicle.
(And won’t return unless it is on a massive discount)
Chinese cars are even worse, because not only they won’t update their software, but they stop making spare parts once the model is no longer produced. That’s one of the ways they can make a new model every two years: they make everything use screens instead of buttons so they have to spend less time on design and tooling and they cut on testing since they expect you to replace your car as soon as the warranty expires, a new model comes out and a spare part breaks.
And to compete with China western carmakers will do the same thing, assuming they don’t just shut down their plants and put their logo on top on a Chinese car.
Magnusmaster,
Chinese cars have other fundamental issues. And, yes, a healthy aftermarket ecosystem is one of them. “Sorry we don’t know how to fix your bumper, as it is never produced. Shall we try to fit one from a Honda Civic”
Moderns EVs are essentially remote controlled drones. And as long as a semi-intelligent administration is in place, they won’t be allowed in US roads (unless they truly open up the software ecosystem).
In imagining myself as a major executive, I like to think that I’d use my authority to defy the trends and reverse enshitification so that everyone could be happy.
However any scenario where I’d find myself in such a role would likely have to arise from circumstances that leave me unable to relate to the commoners and being just another selfish executive.
The logical solution is to have regular people as CEO and not paying them too much so they still have normal middle class struggles, haha.
Alfman,
This is usually the difference between “suits” and “engineers”. Those companies who have traded their innovative engineering roots for “pencil pusher” business administrators will continue the path of enshittification.
There is no way around it unfortunately.
CEO pay?
They occupy not only the C-level positions, but they collude to distribute company boards among each other. They will make sure they get a “competitive salary package”
Alfman,
I just ran into this
https://www.worseonpurpose.com
Has gems like,
* Your Cookware Got Worse On Purpose
* The Mechanisms Of Enshittification
and similar works
Thom,
I think you’d like this site as well.
sukru,
That website looks like good reading for a day when I’m not feeling sufficiently depressed.
Alfman,
The good news is they have recommendations for things that have not regressed, yet.
I’m not sure whether they are a marking site yet. Again, I just ran into this site. But having some optimism at the end is good.
Government regulators will most likely put their foot down by making their own version of Google Play Integrity which will be “open” but will make things even worse since any government-approved OS must comply with thousands of pages of government regulations. Go read the NHTSA regulations to find out what will happen when they regulate…
Don’t misunderstand me, I hate this too. And their sloppy software, and their overly complicated update mechanism for the software, and .. .
However, the world’s recent crazyness with security leads companies who should be less concerned with it to swing completely to the other side. I would expect them to focus on securing their cars physically, as well as having well-protected Cloud communication (all these cars are to some extent Cloud-controlled: I can open my car remotely).
Instead they look at our handsets which should be none of their concern.