Samsung To Remove Ads From Preloaded Apps Through An Update Coming Later This Year
Samsung to Remove Ads From Preloaded Apps Through an Update Coming Later This Year
After years of consumer complaints, Samsung has decided to address their concerns by ceasing to display advertisements in its pre-installed apps, which are available on Galaxy phones. Samsung Weather, Samsung Pay, and Samsung Theme are among the default apps that will no longer display advertisements as a result of an update. Ads are displayed on Samsung phones in the same way that some Chinese competitors, such as Xiaomi, do — even on high-end models such as the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the recently launched Galaxy Z Flip 3. Some customers expressed dissatisfaction with the unwanted promotional content that was displayed despite the fact that they had spent thousands of rupees (or hundreds of dollars) on premium phones.
According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Samsung's mobile chief, TM Roh, announced the decision to remove advertisements from the company's native apps during an internal town hall meeting. In order to improve the user experience on Samsung Galaxy phones, the company has made this new decision.
A separate statement provided to The Verge confirmed the development and stated that the update will be made available to users later in 2021.
In order to protect its proprietary apps, including Samsung Weather, Samsung Pay, and Samsung Theme, the company has decided to discontinue advertising on these applications.” According to The Verge, the company stated that the update would be ready later this year.
This will be made available through a new One UI release, according to the Yonhap news report. However, it is currently unclear whether the change will be implemented for all users — including those who have low-cost Galaxy phones — at the same time or in phases. As of now, the company has not confirmed whether or not the update will be available to consumers in India, as well as those in other parts of the world. With questions on both of these points, Gadgets 360 has reached out to Samsung. If and when we receive a response, we will update this report.
Complains from Users
Last year, some Samsung users took to Reddit to express their dissatisfaction with the intrusive advertisements that appeared on their phones. Some screenshots were shared by users to emphasize that the company displayed advertisements in a variety of sizes, and not only text-based advertisements, but also advertisements with images, some of which covered nearly a third of the screen.
Although users can opt to use some of the alternatives to the preloaded apps in order to avoid advertisements, this is not a solution that should be relied upon after spending a lot of money on a flagship smartphone.
Samsung is not the only company in the market that serves advertisements through pre-installed apps on smartphones. Various Chinese companies are well-known for monetizing their user base by displaying promotional content on their phones, which has led to widespread criticism. In fact, Xiaomi, Samsung's arch-rival and one of the largest Chinese vendors, is well-known for displaying advertisements even on its user interface.
