No, you're not seeing things. Sprint phones will now see a "Sprint" tab in the Android Market instead of the (preferred by many) "Downloads" tab. It's the same on Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile Android phones (at least the ones I have). To get to your downloads, just tap the menu button on your phone. Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
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This freaked me out at first. I did a factory reset last night just for fun because that is what us phone needs do on Friday nights for fun. Went back to the Market to reload my paid apps and downloads tab was gone took me a minute to figure it out. What are the chances the night I decide to reset is the same time Sprint and Google decide to make a major change to the market place.
I first thought it was a dumb move but then I realized it's just Sprint wanting more recognition for their Android phones. They need more positive publicity.
Hey that is cool now my phone can just get me those hard to find sprint only apps... goddie
Speaking of changes to the market menu, anyone else notice a drastically lower number of games for the X in the market or was it just me? (I seem to remember the category list of games being longer...)
I still see download on my Evo. Odd.
Yep same here, and just re-started my phone too.
Same here on my Evo it still shows Downloads. (yeah!)
Me too. EVO. Still showing "Downloads" tab.
"It's the same on Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile Android phones (at least the ones I have)"
how many phones do you have? and can i have a sprint one?
What's that phone bill look like by the way?
Which T-Mobile phone? I'm not seeing anything new on my unlocked Nexus One
My Droid has always had a Verizon tab, but I assumed that was due to some sort of Verizon-ization of the app on the device. Now it appears that, at least in Sprint's case, it's Google's doing.
I guess Google tailoring the Market by carrier can be a good thing at times (I think T-Mobile customers can opt for carrier billing), but on the whole I don't view it as a positive thing. For example, the Verizon tab seems to be littered with a hodge podge of apps that aren't Verizon-specific, over-priced Verizon "exclusives", and over-priced Verizon-specific alternatives to superior free (or at least cheaper) apps available elsewhere in the Market. I think it's fine for carrier's to have a section of the Market where their customers can go to find what their carrier wants them to see, but it doesn't need to be in your face every time you open the Market app.
I don't like it.
It should do as the market has aways done, show you apps your phone can run.
I don't think the Balkanization of the App store helps the Android image.
AppBrain FTW.
If your EVO is still showing a "Downloads" button, try closing the Market and then reopening it. I did that...sez "Sprint" now. :-(
Yeah, saw that after a third reopening of the Market app on my Evo ... bummer. Like others have asked, what IS the point of this? Unless Sprint allows us to remove the preloaded apps, this was not an enhancement.
Well then...looks like I'm never going to terminate the Market or reboot my phone...ever.
Have Verizon tab ever since I got the Incredible..Sprint playing catch up..
OK, so can we now get Sprint to stop pre-loading crap on the phone that relaunches themselves no matter how many times you kill them?
Sprintzone
NFL crap
Amazon MP3
Nascar Crap
News
Sprint zone
Sprint TV
Sprint football crap
Stocks
What am I missing here? Why do they need a Sprint tab? I mean the apps that are on that tab aren't "sprint only". What am I not understanding?
I don't understand it either... some type of marketing drivel, perhaps.
My "ATT" Nexus 1 still shows "Downloads", thank god for that.
Although the Sprint phones no longer have the main download tab, you just click on menu, and there it is- "Downloads". Not a big whoop; although I still don't understand why this was necessary.
If you don't want Sprint apps just root your phone load up a ROM most remove that stuff.I for one love the Nascar app.
Most users (myself included) don't want to "root" the phone and then replace the stock image. Although there are advantages to doing that, there are equally a lot of disadvantages to that. And we shouldn't have to go through all that work, to get rid of something that should be optional to begin with.
How would you feel if you bought a computer and it had 10 unwanted, preinstalled apps that you could not uninstall unless you reformatted the system to install a different image that will have no official support, no updates, losing anything you already loaded, and possibly could screwup and make the computer unusable?
You don't have to replace the ROM. Once rooted there are a number of apps out there that allow you to browse and delete apps in the OS.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Delete+apps+in+ROM+Android
Oh and how to root?
http://www.androidpolice.com/2010/06/25/simpleroot-fully-root-your-htc-e...
Assuming you have an EVO. Ignore everything else on that page. Just root, and unlock. You don't need to do anything else if all you want to do is remove apps.
I, for one, enjoy having a warranty on a $500+ mobile gadget.
The EVO is pretty easy to unroot (just run a Sprint update .exe while hooked up to the computer), so your warranty is never really in jeopardy. There's no way they can tell you were rooted if you re-load the original software... We kinda lucked out with the way it was originally rooted actually (in that it allows us to do this), this is not the case with other phones. No bootloader trip-switch, etc.
You would feel like you bought a Windows PC ;)
I freaked when I noticed the "download" tab was replaced with the "sprint" tab. After bitch'n for about 30 minutes I found downloads off the menu button. Like others here...I find the sprint tab USELESS but nothing I can't get over real quick...now back to browsing the market. ;)
Now if only we could get sprint to let us put app purchases on our bill
Mine still says "Downloads" even tho I've killed the Market process a couple or so time and restarted the Market app.
This serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever
I've got an Evo, and I'm like others that I don't see the Sprint tab. I've killed the app and opened it again, but it still says Download. Maybe I should just be happy and shut up.
EDIT: Well, I spoke too soon. I cleared my cache and the Sprint tab is now there. :-(
Dear Google,
Please make another phone :(
When I first read the article, it still showed up as "Downloads"
Hours later, the Sprint tabs now shows up
:/
Very odd, my evo says downloads...my wifes has the sprint tab...guess it will just take some time...IMHO i like the downloads tab better...
this is bullshit!!!!sorry for you guys, ijust hope this doesn't hapen on my unlocked nexus one, by the way GOOGLE WE NEED MORE NEXUS ONE!!!you have to make the # 2 TO CONTINUE BEATING TO ALL NEW SHEEPER CRAP OF THE CELLS INCLUDING THE IPHONE. go google!!!
i mean ...."cheaper" crap of....
DOWN WITH CARRIER HEGEMONY!!!
DOWN WITH CARRIER HEGEMONY!!!
DOWN WITH CARRIER HEGEMONY!!!
DOWN WITH CARRIER HEGEMONY!!!
...
What...you guys never been to a street protest??
Street protest on the internet is like peeing yourself in a dark wool suit. Warm feeling, but nobody will notice.
Very well put :)
The new tab doesn't bother me at all. I don't see the reason for it, but still not bothersome.
If they're gonna add a Sprint tab how about actually putting the Sprint apps on it? Not just a mess of apps that have little to do w/Sprint (and have probably just paid Sprint to appear on the tab)...
That way those of us that load a clean ROM can re-install the Sprint apps we actually DO want w/o having to re-load apks or anything. What can I say? I'm lazy... :p And Google Maps Navigation still doesn't work in Puerto Rico so I get some decent use out of Sprint's Nav app, altho sometimes I just find it easier to use Maps w/o nav anyway.
Sprint didn't pre-load *that* much stuff anyway, some of the other carriers are way worse about it. T-Mo seems to have pre-loaded a crapload of stuff on the Vibrant (judging by the list on Engadget's review, compared to the Captivate list), tho a lot of it isn't made by them so it may be uninstallable.
My Verizon Moto Droid1 has had the "Verizon" Tab since launch, over a year ago. No Downloads tab here lol. Better late than never sprint! Woo Hoo!
Mine shows "Sprint".... I like the downloads tab better...
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