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The Super User FAQ states that superuser.com is for asking questions related to computer hardware and software. Is asking iPhone or android questions allowed?

EDIT: Maybe the real question is: do we consider an android phone or an iPhone a computer?

My question has been asked!

Edit 2:
As a result of this and similar questions, the FAQ has been updated to read "and it is not about ... electronic devices, media players, cell phones or smart phones, except insofar as they interface with your computer"

4 Answers 4

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I'd say yes, since phones, especially smartphones nowadays, are essentially general-purpose computers and are subject to many of the same problems.

Edit by Gnoupi: since this post, the situation has changed. The FAQ now clearly states that you should not ask questions about "electronic devices, media players, cell phones or smart phones, except insofar as they interface with your computer".

Questions about electronic devices will be welcomed on this Area 51 proposal site, when it will launch.

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  • Providing the question is discussing the programming of the devices?
    – mas
    Commented Aug 10, 2009 at 11:22
  • Then it's probably better on stackoverflow than superuser.
    – Johannes Rössel
    Commented Aug 10, 2009 at 18:14
  • Sorry Johannes for hacking into your answer, it was not actual anymore and used as reference.
    – Gnoupi
    Commented Jul 6, 2010 at 19:41
  • The mentioned electronic-gadgets proposed site was closed.
    – carandraug
    Commented Nov 9, 2019 at 23:02
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Only for extra-computery phones, and even then, it's best if the question is at least related to computer hardware or software.

Fex: "I want to transfer PDF files from my COMPUTER to the iPhone and read them on the iPhone at my leisure. How do I do that?"

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  • the question i wanted to on superuser.com was: What android phone would you recommend & why? what say ye Jeff? or are we looking at another stackoverflow forum fork?
    – Nick Kavadias
    Commented Aug 9, 2009 at 9:48
  • 3
    that's already kind of a problem question on any SO-family site. "What {x} do you recommend and why?" is just a discussion.
    – Jeff Atwood
    Commented Aug 9, 2009 at 9:55
  • it's a bit of a 'soft' question. but i can make it a 'hard' one. What's the best android phone ? ;-)
    – Nick Kavadias
    Commented Aug 9, 2009 at 10:07
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    You say at least related to computer hardware/sofware - but what about a problem with an iPhone app that's standalone? For example, "how do I do x in Mobile Safari."
    – bpapa
    Commented Aug 9, 2009 at 13:56
  • @Jeff Was this one out of line? superuser.com/questions/20634/…
    – Troggy
    Commented Aug 10, 2009 at 18:07
  • @Jeff: and what about this one? superuser.com/questions/21789/…
    – fretje
    Commented Aug 14, 2009 at 12:39
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    I think phones should be totally fair game. Most of them are very "computery". Even if we're not discussing the computery features (email, web browsing).
    – Chris W. Rea
    Commented Aug 14, 2009 at 17:03
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No, Superuser won't allow them unless the problem also involves a "real" computer.

You'd have to support one of these:

(Disclosure: these are referral links)

This is for general gadgets and gizmos: http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/614/electronic-gadgets?referrer=lu78is-6UwU1

This one's for all things Apple, if you happen to mean an iphone: http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/151/apple?referrer=LvSWwLbXk641

The former is a lot closer to a beta launch.

-1

Are smartphone questions permitted on Super User? This question is one that has been asked many times over a long period of years.

Meanwhile, technology has been advancing, and at an ever-increasing pace.

This particular question was posted here five years ago; our guidance has evolved a little since then. At present, we take the line that Super User is for computer enthusiasts, and off-topic items include electronic devices, media players, cell phones or smart phones, except insofar as they interface with your computer.

The focus of our site is computers, and should remain so. But in 2015, it goes without saying that a smartphone is a computer. And here's the thing: not only is it a computer, but its significance in the world of personal computing has now exploded to an extent that led wired.com to recently predict that in less than two years, we’ll be able to count on our smartphones to do all the tasks we currently need a desktop computer for.

With the smartphone now having such a significant role as a personal computer, we at Super User need to move with the times and accept that smartphones are now firmly within our sphere of interest.

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