Samsung Steps Back from Ads in its Mobile Apps

Samsung is infamous for duplicating apps and services that already come with Android and for using rampant advertising in its own apps. And while the firm isn’t promising to stop loading down its handsets with bloatware, it is at least addressing that latter issue.

“Samsung has made a decision to cease the advertisement on proprietary apps including Samsung Weather, Samsung Pay, and Samsung Theme,” a Samsung statement reads. “The update will be ready by later this year. Our priority is to deliver innovative mobile experiences for our consumers based on their needs and wants. We value feedback from our users and continue our commitment to provide them with the best possible experience from our Galaxy products and services.”

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Reading into that statement, it’s clear that my complaints about Samsung’s expensive handsets were not unique and that many of its customers—some of whom paid well over $1000 for the company’s flagship devices—were upset to see advertising all over Samsung’s often-duplicative apps.

It’s unclear why Samsung thought this policy was OK in the first place. And while I agree that a win is a win, we’ll need to see how dramatic this change really is as Samsung’s phones are infested with ads (and with unnecessary extra apps and services, many of which cannot even be removed).

Maybe customer outrage can convince Samsung that it’s time to kill Bixby too.

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Conversation 14 comments

  • bart

    Premium Member
    18 August, 2021 - 10:18 am

    <p>I would much rather see Samsung focussing more on the Galaxy Store, so it can wrestle itself free from Google’s apps and services and reduce clutter/similar apps on Samsung phones. And while they’re at it, bring the Galaxy Store to Windows 11.</p>

    • jlv632

      18 August, 2021 - 10:23 am

      <p>Could NOT agree any more. Great idea but the situation it pretty dire. I’m tempted to use the Galaxy store for most things but when I got the "Trade Up" app to maybe upgrade to new Fold 3… the version from the Galaxy store kept failing… the only work around unfortunately was to get it from the Play store. </p><p><br></p><p>Let’s hope either the Galaxy stores gets some much needed love and/or the Amazon/Android store gets a huge boost with the Windows 11 Implementation. Fingers crossed as i’ve very Anti Google </p>

      • bart

        Premium Member
        18 August, 2021 - 11:07 am

        <p>I hear you! Still got a Galaxy A51 to keep an eye on the Android side of things, but its not looking good for the Galaxy Store. Hence my plead for Samsung to do something about it.</p>

        • bsobotta

          20 August, 2021 - 7:44 pm

          <p>Try pure apk, it compliments the Samsung store well. But yes I would love to strictly live in samsungs store. </p>

  • crunchyfrog

    18 August, 2021 - 12:16 pm

    <p>Yes, let’s kill Bixby or at least make it so good that it works consistently and we can’t live without it. Nah, let’s just kill it…</p>

    • epsjrno

      Premium Member
      18 August, 2021 - 12:53 pm

      <p>Nuke it from orbit… It’s the only way to be sure.</p>

      • jrswarr

        Premium Member
        18 August, 2021 - 2:03 pm

        <p>Love the movie reference. </p><p><br></p>

  • Cdorf

    Premium Member
    18 August, 2021 - 12:25 pm

    <p>I noticed they didn’t say Game Launcher in there… that and gallery are the only Samsung apps I use</p>

  • simont

    Premium Member
    18 August, 2021 - 3:32 pm

    <p>Now if we could just convince Microsoft to do the same.</p>

  • reformedctrlz

    Premium Member
    18 August, 2021 - 6:14 pm

    <p>I miss the days when you could by “Play Edition” phones and get the best hardware from great OEMs without their usually terrible software</p>

  • brettscoast

    Premium Member
    18 August, 2021 - 9:32 pm

    <p>Any improvement to fix\remove the awful bloatware\ads has to be a positive because you hit the nail on the head the experience up until now on their android phones is terrible. </p>

  • jamJAR

    18 August, 2021 - 11:55 pm

    <p>I opened up the weather app and there it was, an ad. Good that they’re getting rid of it, what a wierd place to put it anyway, if I want a weather report I just look at the widget on the home screen.</p>

  • joferm

    20 August, 2021 - 3:35 am

    <p>If I could remove extra apps and not have them come back in future updates I would be ok with it. As it is I’m staying with Google Pixel.. and I’m much happier here than I ever was with Samsung.</p>

  • JH_Radio

    Premium Member
    21 August, 2021 - 3:33 pm

    <p>One thing about Samsung, they got accessibility features that others do not have. Sound Assistant is great! as is the EQ in their settings. </p><p> Also, all of their apps are accessible , which is the same as Google really. </p><p>Smart tooter has been helpful in getting rid of a floating window that was over the letter M so I could not type the letter M. and I could not remove it without help. ON android 10 on a Note 9 you can’t turn off the showing of such windows and somehow it came to cover it. </p><p>Their support was great! </p><p>Yes, you can use Be My Eyes to call Google support if you need it, but how many phones manufactures really have good support channels?</p><p>Apples is great too.</p><p>MS has been helpful also.</p><p>But yeah adds? nah would rather not. </p><p><br></p>

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