Sony can't cook Android

This is a wrathful post. I am a fan of Sony technology and buy their devices. In this post, I’ll tell you how the lack of a proper software development management process makes their smartphones useless and ruins Sony’s reputation.

First you have to praise

Somehow it happened that I got hooked on Sony equipment. It all started with the tablet Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet. He's all good: super-thin, productive, light, the battery lasts for a long time, waterproof - you can get in the rain and the standard case he has a representative and also saved the tablet with three drops on the tile from a height of one and a half meters. There was also a TV with Android inside the phone to the wife of the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact, from which she is happy after the iPhone 5s and does not want to change even now. I especially liked that Sony quickly released Android updates. Usually we received them 3-4 months later than Nexus users.

And now it's time to choose a new device for me. I just decided to return to Android after the iPhone 6s and, in view of frequent trips and affairs in two countries, I thought about a smartphone with support for two SIM'ok. My choice fell on the Sony Xperia X Performance Dual SIM. In Russia, it costs about 49 sput, but in the US it can be ordered on the Amazon in the region of 39 sput. True, it will go from some Asian country, which will take a week, but 10 sput worth it. In general, I received a new toy from Hong Kong last week ...
')

Unprecedented effort

Now I think it is appropriate to explain why, in my opinion, Sony is trying very hard to get into the far-off smartphone market. I have already mentioned some facts: for example, making sure that users get fresh Android as soon as possible is not a weak attempt to get the love of users in the world of Android smartphones. Sony immediately positioned itself in the premium segment: expensive materials, high-quality assembly (this was always good for Sony), premium features and a premium price. Of the premium features, I would note: heaped cameras (when the iPhone had no alternatives in this aspect), energy management, STAMINA mode, water resistance, two versions of the models (large and compact). In addition, the company stamped new phones like cakes, while competitors entrenched in the market produce one and a half models a year, Sony released 12 models in 2014, 11 models in 2015, 7 models in incomplete 2016.

What is wrong with them?

I received my brand new device from Hong Kong and put in two Sims at once: MegaFon and T-Mobile. The standard Contacts application crashes when you try to open any contact that has a phone number. Trying to dial a number to call - the same thing. I can neither call nor receive calls.

A $ 600 phone does not work out of the box! Some consumer hell!

I am a technical person, so immediately put back into the box and send to the seller - not the way out. But I am sure that many ordinary customers simply returned their devices in this situation.

1. First, I pull out all the SIM cards and, lo and behold, the Contacts application no longer drops.
2. Empirically, I install that the Contacts application drops only with the T-Mobile sims.
3. I reset Android to factory settings.
4. I call in support of Sony, they are not in the subject. The same polite as useless.
5. On the advice of support, I reflash the phone from the PC via Sony Companion.
6. I turn on Developer-mode, connect ADB and try to find logs on the error account.
7. In the logs I see that com.sonyericsson.android.socialphonebook crashes when I try to do something without having android.permission.READ_PRIVILEGED_PHONE_STATE.
8. This gave me a google keyword that I found Reddit to do .

It turned out that the problem with my newcomer Sony Xperia X Performance is quite old - 3 months old. In short, the Sony developers forgot to declare the rights in the Contacts application. These rights are needed only when there is a possibility of video communication through the LTE network. This feature is not activated in all networks (not activated in MegaFon, but activated in T-Mobile). Because of this, the application does not fall on all SIM cards, but only on some operators.

The trick is that the problem was discovered by users immediately after updating the Xperia Z line on Android Marshmallow. Reddit users wrote about this just 3 months ago. Then Sony had to release an emergency firmware upgrade with fix. My device came out immediately with Android Marshmallow and for it there was no fix and there is not even now.

I, as a programmer, am confident that Sony has completely ruined its software development and support processes. In all the projects in which I participated, there was a clear understanding and procedures, as important corrections fall into all the branches of the code in such a way that the same bugs do not crawl out many times.

You can also say a few words about support. At first glance, there are no ordinary jambs, they answer on the phone, no robots speak, not always on cards. But ... They say that they can not transfer information to developers, even when I already had logs, they say that they do not know whether my issue in the release that is about to be released will be fixed and that they have no way to find out. Support is not aware of common problems with their equipment, which are described on the Internet. In general, they sit there just to reassure grandmothers who pressed the wrong button.

And the question is: if these guys do not know how to write software and how to support it, then why are they doing it. Why does everyone desperately cut through the interface of Android? I do not mind if they have other ideas about design and they cut it perfectly. But why do they really climb and rework the "meat" of applications, unable to do this? I will leave you with this question alone. Do not buy Sony phones until they fix at least this joint.

UPDATE October 7
Today I received a build 35.0.A.1.282 in it the cant seems to be fixed. Sony did not receive any communications through official channels.