Google Plans to Pair Your Google+ Pic With Phone Number

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It would be annoying to move all my videos but I could go without YouTube.

The only thing holding me back from being google free is my android phone. I wish more effort was put into making Linux ROMs for existing phones instead of distros like Ubuntu trying to release their own phones.
 
You have one post about someone complaining about the old search results side bar being changed two years ago, two posts complaining about how YouTube changed it's layout two years ago, and one about people not wanting to show their full name on YouTube
The date doesn't matter. It has been going for many years.
Unnecessary changes that provide no benefit or make things worse.

If things are working and users are happy don't change it just to change it - This is not like curbing innovation because none of the changes are innovative.
(something they can one click opt out of).
For now...
These things are like a grain in the sand compared to stuff other companies get complaints about. Look at iOS 7 or WIndows 8 if you want to see negative user feedback.
I think W8 sucks too and so I don't use it. It is much more difficult to avoid google services on the internet.

But if forced real name becomes the case, then I give up. And I am not being paranoid, I just want a choice.

I think Google is going to be fine lol.
Because the sheeple will go along with pretty much anything.
If they take it too far, what we need is mass boycotts. Easier said then done to arrange though
 


Just admit that you failed to show any real examples of user dissatisfaction. A certain minority are going to complain regardless of how good a product is.

You dug around on the web for quite awhile (probably using Google search) and all you found were some forum posts from two years ago where a small group of users were complaining about page layout lol. There will always be people who reject change because they are stubbornly set in their ways and refuse to give something a chance. There are many more users such as myself who think the new layouts and log in system are actually improvements over the old.

Also, you're changing your tune. Your first post said there were no ways to opt out, yet you just admitted there were. You say you want a choice and you have one. Why are you complaining about something that hasn't happened yet when their is no indication that it ever will?

There aren't going to be mass boycotts of Google products because they are good products and the majority of people agree with me. People will stop using Google if they don't like the products as their is competition for every service Google offers with the exception of maybe YouTube.

Don't like it? No one is forcing you to comment on YouTube. I doubt the world will know the difference if you stop.
 
Just admit that you failed to show any real examples of user dissatisfaction. A certain minority are going to complain regardless of how good a product is.
How is that not real dissatisfaction? I cannot find a real survey because google never collected one.
That's because they don't care.

Sure the ones that complain are the minority but there are many many more that dislike the changes without actively complaining.
You dug around on the web for quite awhile (probably using Google search) and all you found were some forum posts from two years ago where a small group of users were complaining about page layout lol. There will always be people who reject change because they are stubbornly set in their ways and refuse to give something a chance. There are many more users such as myself who think the new layouts and log in system are actually improvements over the old.
That search took more then one minute to get all those links. I would hardly call that a while.
Improvement? LOL!
Lets see:
Its slower
Clunky
Useless suggestions all over the video page
Completely useless channel page now

As far as the side bar goes, it just wastes screen space. I will admit after upgrading monitors it isn't as big of deal but I would prefer it gone.
I even had a firefox extension to get rid of it and it no longer works.

Just because something is changed, does not make it automaticly an improvement. Thinking that is naive.

There aren't going to be mass boycotts of Google products because they are good products and the majority of people agree with me. People will stop using Google if they don't like the products as their is competition for every service Google offers with the exception of maybe YouTube.
They are marginal products and there are few alternative (a near monopoly)
with the exception of maybe YouTube.
That is a pretty big exception since video hosting is fairly important at this point.

You are particularly closed-minded. How someone can be against a CHOICE is beyond me.
 
I've gotten so horribly confused with what google service I need to use, now that google has thrust G+ onto all of its service users. For example, photos. First there was Picasa--both desktop and mobile--and I got it. I could manage my photos, and I could upload all the photos I wanted (and reduced resolution) to my Picasa account. Then there was a merge (or rather, a re-branding) to google+ photos; though none of my home-uploaded 'Picasa' photos were migrated. And now there's a "Photos" app that materialized onto my phone (okay, I approved the app 'update'), and I'm even more confused.

Google has great quality services. But Google+ obfuscates all of them, unnecessarily IMHO.

And don't get me started on how much I detest Hangouts vs. good old GTalk...
 


Everything you've stated here is subjective opinion about how something looks or behaves. You're raging about nothing. Most people don't care. I'm not here to argue about aesthetics though. Most like it, some don't. Whatever.

I fail to see how I'm against choice. What choice don't you have? You want an option to go back to an old web layout? What is it you want a choice about?

How about you name another Google "near monopoly" that has no alternatives aside from YouTube.

What is your point in any of this other than you don't like the YouTube layout and for some reason think Google might someday force you to use your real name on YouTube even though they have never given us a single reason to believe that?

Your first post called for "mass boycotts." I just am trying to figure out what we are supposed to boycott about.
 
Everything you've stated here is subjective opinion about how something looks or behaves. You're raging about nothing. Most people don't care.
And you are doing precisely the same thing
I fail to see how I'm against choice. What choice don't you have? You want an option to go back to an old web layout? What is it you want a choice about?
The choice to revert to an older more functional format and more importantly
the choice to not integrate google+ with other unrelated services
How about you name another Google "near monopoly" that has no alternatives aside from YouTube.
You are going to have the clarify that one.
What is your point in any of this other than you don't like the YouTube layout and for some reason think Google might someday force you to use your real name on YouTube even though they have never given us a single reason to believe that?
Constant nagging is a pretty good indication. Other indication is when Google+ was first launched, they DEMANDED people use their real name (that didn't last long)
I find it very likely they will try it again but roll it out across all services

 


I haven't complained about anything. You are the one angry enough to be calling for boycotts. I'm simply trying to determine why.

You said Google had a near monopoly in many areas. I'm just curious as to which you are talking about other than YouTube.

When Google starts making you use your full name, then I'll boycott along with you. I don't expect to be doing so though.
 


I am angry although I am not actually calling for boycotts at this point
I am simply warning that if things keep progressing, then we should start boycotting.

Major features like Search are one example. Even though there are lots of alternatives, Google has most of the market.

But atleast you don't need an account to use (yet!) 😉

 
My Old Nokia E72 (Symbian) from 2008 is able to to this. I figured assigning a picture / image to a number in your contacts, was standard these days.
 


This is different. You've been able to add contact photos on phones for ages--decades--now, if you have 4.4+, and a google+ account with a photo, the caller ID pictures are automatically handled by android via g+ contact photos. You don't do a thing.

Although Google accounts has already been doing this, with your own google contacts, this is new; with the integration of the dialer with G+, if, for example, you call, say, a business or a business calls you, you'll be shown the photo for that person/business as it's listed in their google data on your dialer/caller ID, even if they're not in your contact list, even if you've never put a photo into your contact book. Even more creepy, you'll be shown caller ID info (personal/company info and google+ photo) for callers that have NEVER called you before and have never been in contact with you. Some say this might be a good thing to enable better screening, but I think it's a little bit creepy...at least you can opt out (since you're opted in immediately when you verify phone numbers with google).
 


How is this creepy at all? How many people do you call that you would care if they see your profile picture when you are calling? All of the information is as close as a Google search away anyhow. It's not like Google snuck into your bedroom and took a picture of you drooling in your sleep and is now showing it to everyone you call. This is your PUBLIC profile picture that YOU put online for others to see.

I would love to know more about a random caller than just a number. Might help me decide whether to answer or not.
 


This is creepy because it pulls caller ID anonymity even further away by default, if that person has any google info. Sure, you can block your phone number if you're an individual calling another individual.

The creepier part is the example of businesses--google has a database of phone numbers associated with business names/ID's. Those businesses may never have created a google+ account and added photos, but if anyone else has associated a photo with that business, and since google knows the phone number associated with that business listing, they automatically pair up the caller ID and photo info. If that business calls you, you're going to be shown the picture for that business that is associated with their google business info. Without the business ever having approved a picture for their business. It's not wrong, just creepy, and stemming from data harvesting. No one ever had to say, "associate this photo with my business" in any sort of google account for it to be shown on your phone when they call you.
 


This is exactly why it's a good thing. If some business that is not in my contacts is calling me, I want to know as much as possible about them before I answer because they usually know something about me so I'm at enough of a disadvantage. Google is providing a big service here, not an invasion of privacy.

Also, I'm not convinced that it's going to show just "any" picture associated with that company. When you look up business listings on Google the image associated is usually a street view image if they don't have a G+ picture.
 
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