1y ago

Updated my Samsung phone and it installed unwanted apps

482 comments

I hate that. One of the reasons I dislike Samsung phones. Last phone from them was a Note 8 and unless they go back to a pure Android experience, I won’t get another. We know that isn’t happening any time soon.
Honestly I’m super over all our current choices. Im on an iPhone and while I like their privacy stuff slightly better than android, there are lots of things I don’t like.
I also hate how much metadata the big G snorts up. Even just the location data they retain is out of this world.
There just aren’t any options if you want something that doesn’t keep you boxed into a closed ecosystem or track every love you make.
- You can get a Google pixel and sideload an operating system such as Grapheneos, and you won't have to deal with any of Google's bs spying. Highly recommend looking into it.
  
  I recently made the switch and it's great. Definitely takes a bit of understanding and research to know what you're getting into, though.
  
  Yeah. That’s what I’ve been looking into. I used to root and do roms and stuff. Back in the day I was pretty involved in the XDA community.
  
  At that point why not just using Samsung phone and sideload the OS? Seems weird to do that on Pixel which has inferior hardware and good software (like its camera apps), and then remove the software
  
  I wanted to do that but need to use Google apps for work (specifically google chat won't work).
- What about the fairphones? I was reading up on them and might get one. I like that they come with an android fork and open-source apps so you don't have to deal with Google. Plus being fully repairable and sustainably-made. Does anyone have any experience with them?
  
  The problem is getting one if you're in North America...
- Apple's biggest success is convincing people they care about your privacy.
- It's really frustrating because Samsung is basically the leader in Android phones right now.
  I hope we get a bunch of new good options this year because I really need to upgrade and posts like this remind me why I don't by Samsung.
- wtf do you go with for a quality hardware android reasonably priced? LG got out of the phone game which sucks ass. Pixel can be great but they are all flagship prices. Samsung, while having horrible shit like this, is quality hardware and has lots of models under $200.

Straight up gambling apps too
- Imagine having a gambling addiction, struggling to overcome it, then your phone auto installs gambling apps..
- Gotta gamba

Samsung has been a malicious bad actor for a while now. It's not just phones; they also pulled shit like retroactively adding ads to people's smart TVs etc.
(Also, even their "dumb" products, like appliances, are designed to fail just outside warranty. If you don't believe me, take a look at my washer's spider arm, which failed catastrophically due to corrosion even though nothing else in the machine had so much of a speck of corrosion on it. Samsung is clearly capable of specifying corrosion-resistant materials and chose not to on purpose in order to create a failure point.)
Everyone should completely boycott Samsung.
- Your corrosion issue is due to dissimilar metals which, when in contact with one another, begin corroding immediately. They chose those materials knowing full well what would happen.
  Their appliances are absolute garbage and I've read that many repair places refuse to work on them because they're built so poorly.
  
  Galvanic corrosion is a thing every shipyard on the planet has known about since we invented the propeller, of course they knew what they were doing.
  Never owned a Samsung phone but 5 minutes playing with the gf’s S22 was enough to keep me as an Apple fanboy for the foreseeable future
- and you might think their TVs would be ok, but search for "Samsung TV vertical shadow" or some variant and find endless results for failed LED strips or power supplies. trash.
- Let's not ignore that they are one of the conglomerates that are making living in Korea so shitty for a lot of people.
- So does that washing machine still work, or is that spider arm critical to all useful functionality? Anyways, one part getting way more corrosion than the rest is suspicious design.
  
  The spider arm doesn't do much: it just attaches the washing drum to the drive spindle so that it can spin to wash clothes. If you're using the "let your dirty clothes sit still in a heap while the machine makes loud noises caused by the broken remains of the arm whacking and grinding against each other" setting, you don't need it at all!

Majorly infuriating.
It's not really your phone if it does things like this. This is Samsung's phone you pay for their permission to carry for a few years.
True ownership means fully possessing something and deciding how it operates including what software it runs, what data that software can access, and when it can access it. I would not be surprised if those apps had some very invasive default permissions.
- There's a difference between not having full ownership and not bothering to use it. There's plenty of options from rooting to full custom ROMs, and as far as I know Samsung does nothing to prevent you using those, they just don't do it for you / provide support and updates.
  
  My Canadian S10E has no way to unlock the bootloader.
  
  Yeah, you shouldn't have to root your phone to own it though. This is just straight up asshole design, there are plenty of people out there who aren't technically savvy who don't know how to do this stuff. They shouldn't be forced to circumvent the default software just to remove an app they don't want in the first place.
  
  Last time I bothered researching, Google pixel was the only one that didn't void the warranty when you unlock the bootloader.
  I remember Samsung being especially locked down with hardware e-fuses that blew if you ran any software not signed by their key. You could never reset back to stock afterwards.

I disabled my DNS block-list for 5 minutes to test something, and my Samsung TV used its newfound freedom to immediately go and automatically install the TikTok app from its app store. It no longer gets the privilege of an internet connection.
- Shouldn't have ever connected it in the first place. I spent $30 on a Chromecast that gets plugged in and connected.
- That has to be an American-market thing, really.
  My Samsung TV has never pulled this shit. It used to have free Internet access, now it's behind a DNS blocker because it wants to do phone home a LOT, but even when I unblocked it to download an app I wanted, it didn't do shit that it shouldn't have.
  It's still likely the last Samsung TV I'll ever own - I don't like the app availability on Tizen much - but I just don't see all this adware that everyone keeps talking about. Mine's a 2019 model though, maybe it's only newer ones?
  
  This was in Europe - 2019 model as well. Must have been around 2021 or so, when TikTok was just taking off.

If one of my relatives showed me this screen appearing on their phone I’d assume they have malware
- As mentioned above, these probably are malware depending on your standards. It just came from Samsung or their carrier
- This is definetely malware. OP has probably been doing funky stuff with his phone.
  
  No they haven't. This is stuff is commonly installed with updates from the carrier.

Ah, that's where you're wrong: it's not your phone.
- One of the reasons that my last Samsung phone was an S5. Can't reload a custom ROM on them anymore to get rid of OEM shit, as far as I know. Motorolas and Pixels are good for that now.
  
  I did with my S10+, so you definitely could more recently.
  Having said that I'm finding the crud much reduced on my S23, like they don't try to push bixby down your throat every 10 seconds.
  
  GSI roms are the solution! I have a Vanilla Lineageos on my A12 and it's great! But for me, there is just one problem with it, everytime you unlock the phone, touch does not work for 4 or 5 second. :)

Stab in the dark...your on tmobile.
It does this to me too. You disable the damn thing, then you get a carrier update and it reactivates and downloads stupid games no one wants.
First time it did it to me, I thought I got a virus. Come to find out...nah it's just a thing tmobile forces on you for fun.
Assholes
- This is the sorta shit that will likely be in the EUs sights soon. Installing applications nobody asked for because of the carrier? That sounds fucking insanely invasive. It's like Adidas installing a camera in your apartment because you bought a pair of sneakers.
  
  That’s kind of an extreme example lol unless the game is asking for insane permissions. Still I get your point and hopefully the EU acts on it. Especially since they appear to be humanity’s only hope against shit like this
  
  This is the sorta shit that will likely be in the EUs sights soon.
  You mean the same regulator that unconditionally approved the buyout of Activision-Blizzard by convicted monopolist Microsoft? Yeah, no. Nothing is to be expected by EU regulators.
- Yeah, I would like clarification if this came from the carrier or Samsung.
  I keep my Galaxy S21 up to date, and these have not been installed for me. But I haven't had an update in the last few days, so it's possible it's an upcoming update I haven't seen yet.
  But I bought my phone off Amazon; they're usually cheaper that way, and it's unlocked already. I don't get them via my carrier (AT&T for what it's worth).
- Verizon does stuff like this too. It downloaded TikTok and other garbage every update. Once I couldn't take it anymore I got rid of the app downloading it using ADB

It's carrier based. I've had Samsung phones almost exclusively and as long as I buy unlocked I never get unwanted apps.
- There is still a lot of stuff preinstalled which could be considered unwanted by a lot of people (TikTok, Netflix, Spofify, multiple MS apps, Disney+, Facebook, Meta Services, ...)
  
  Pre-installed, yes mine had pre-installed. I don't know anything that doesn't have pre-installed bloatware. What the OP was complaining about was their phone randomly installing unwanted apps after they bought it. Mine has never installed an app without me telling it to. For the bloatware I just disabled it until I'm comfortable using ABD on a new phone.
  I have a S21 FE unlocked on AT&T in the USA by the way. #~~___~~
- Nah. My $2000 CAD unlocked directly from Samsung device had ads and bullshit pre-installed apps before I even inserted my SIM into it.
  I returned that phone so fast. Never seen anything like that on my Pixel.
  
  Jeez. Who spends $2000 on a phone?

The fact that one of those is some sort of a gambling app promotes that to very infuriating! 😡

guess its carrier stuff?
- I wish manufacturers didn't allow carriers to install junk on their phone.
  On the other hand, this is how carriers can give you a good deal on a phone... They have to subsidise it by making deals with the companies that make apps like these.
  
  If they have to trick you by installing unwanted apps on your phone, where you don't even know it's them doing it, then it sounds more like a scam than a great deal.
- Yeah I have a Samsung phone and have never had this problem so I'm guessing it's carrier stuff and op is unkowongly placing blame on the wrong company here

At this point I only buy Smartphones with Android One label (Stock Android without anything changed). Samsung especially is full of bloat.
- Is Android One still a thing? The Samsung bloat was why I moved to pixel devices. Pixels have never had premium hardware but the software was always 🤌
  
  Xiaomi managed to kill Android One
- At this point I only buy Smartphones with Android One label (Stock Android without anything changed). Samsung especially is full of bloat.
  Bloat is bad enough but Samsung devices now have ad/crap/spyware baked into them and you can't even disable some of it.
- Same here bud. I am tired of smartphone UI's having tons of bloatware and all that shit.
- I switch between the pixel and the one plus
- OP's bloat is provider branding, not stock Samsung. Samsung phones have the second longest support timeframe after Fairphone (who recently announced 7 years of Android updates). Those "stock Android One" phones typically don't get Android updates for very long.

One of the many reasons I will only ever buy Pixel phones. No bloatware.
- Thinking about making the jump to grapheneos, the only thing holding me back is my addiction to Android Auto
  
  GrapheneOS is pretty damn great. But yes... Android Auto is something I do miss :(
- I agree. This is my work phone so I had no choice. My personal phone is the Pixel 5a.
- This is the main reason I've stuck with Nexus/Pixel. I've tried Samsung but everything on it is unwanted bloat. Amazing hardware screwed by bloat and duplicated apps. Shame.
- I'm on a Pixel 4a right now running CalyxOS. I relly want to get a FairPhone next tho. Repairability is awesome

Just uninstalled this after seeing this thread. If you're on AT&T like I am the package name for Mobile Services Manager is com.dti.att and it has nothing to do with your actual mobile services. All it does is push and update bloatware. I also nuked every AT&T app that I could. I recommend everyone who has Android Studio do this to their phone its easy.
- So it's AT&T that does this and not Samsung?
  
  Yes. On T Mobile I had to install their voicemail app before it stopped bugging me but no games.
  Unbranded Samsung phones don't have that.
  
  Yes, its the carriers. It was extremely easy to remove though as long as you have Android Studio downloaded.
- Don't buy carrier models.
  
  It was hard when they were the only model available at the time, but sure.

Never again Samsung. Never again.

I wouldn't be able to handle this. Been running GrapheneOS since last year, and I don't think I could go back to anything else.
Actually started working on a GrapheneOS installation service called SwapMyOS that I think could be helpful to those who wanna install GrapheneOS but don't how.
I kick a percentage back to GrapheneOS itself to keep the project funded and running (which is the primary motive behind the project).
- Same lol, maybe a Linux phone one day so I don't have to buy another Google phone but unless it runs all the same apps it's unlikely
  
  The only app I need to work on a linux phone is google maps. Although I haven't checked how good openstreet map is now. Everything else has a linux alternative
  
  Try SailfishOS! Currently replying to you using it.
- Do you know if it works with an S22?
  
  GrapheneOS only runs on Pixel devices (including the Pixel tablet) because they're the only ones that meet the strict security standards.
  I know LineageOS supports some Samsung devices, but I didn't see the S22 being supported.
  
  It's only for Pixel phones
- What phone, if I may ask?
  
  GrapheneOS only works on the Pixel line as of this writing.

Samsung is pretty much notorious for this, especially in developing countries where they bundle in every third-party service, PayLater app, shitty mobile game, etc alongside a new device. The only reason they are seen as preferable is that other companies are doing worse (see: Xiaomi).
- I don't know. Samsung seems like a very good company.
  And I'm not saying that as they have an army and access to my location.
  
  Blink twice if you're in danger
  
  Correction: a good hardware company. That is of course if we disregard them turning some phones into bombs. But they also make screens, RAM and so on. I just always hated all their software. It's utter garbage.
  
  Always seems like the Pixel phones are better tho
- At least Xiaomi is telling their customers upfront that the reason they can sell their mid and low end android phones on the cheap ( by famously announcing to cap their hardware profit margin at 5% ) is due to advertising. IIRC their high end models do not have ads. Other manufacturers mocked xiaomi for this move, just like they mocked apple for removing headphone jack, then quietly follow the move anyway without telling their customers, which I think is an even bigger dick move.

Remember when Apple put a U2 song on everyone's iPhone and people went nuts about it? How dare they do that! That was just a song.
Now companies just install whatever apps they want. And people just accept it.
- This has been a thing since before smartphones and the U2 stunt though. The PC manufacturers started doing it back in the early 2000s.
  
  Didn't Windows put a Weezer video on there or am I remembering something wrong?
  
  Yeah Android manufacturers been doing this since its inception. I remember having to remove the Blockbuster app from my Droid X lol
- Now companies just install whatever apps they want. And people just accept it.
  That's because the provider subsidizes the phone and people rather have that than to pay >1000 dollars at retail for an unbranded phone.

I would suggest this has absolutely nothing to do with a Samsung update and more than likely some form of malware.
- or carrier bloatware. Samsung has it's thingy like that (only on A series) but it installs TikTok during the setup, nothing else.
  
  Fold 3 here. It tries to do a device cleanup periodically and will try to sneak tiktok and other shit on here.
  
  Perhaps but the applications displayed by OP would certainly not be installed by a carrier or Samsung. I've seen Facebook come pre-installed and other main stream garbage but the above is something completely different.
- This kind of bullshit always comes pre installed on Samsung phones, even the ones from Google that are usually otherwise pretty stock android experiences. If they came in on an update then the responsibility is squarely on the carrier (they manage the OS updates, tailoring them to each device). On the Samsung phone's I've had on Verizon this kind of bullshit has been the worst. I do consider it malware because it installs without user consent, but it's officially authorized malware. I guess I should just be grateful I can still uninstall them after the updates, but it's a recurring problem I know I'll need to address after each update and one day I'm sure they'll decide you can't remove those junk apps.
  
  My Galaxy S9 had facebook installed with no way to delete it. You could “disable” it. Super annoying.

Is this a regional thing? None of my Samsung phones (Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S23) ever installed apps like these automatically. They did come with Microsoft apps bundled in, and I believe Facebook too, but after deactivating them they never came back. Never games though.
- yes specifically a us or canadian carrier thing
  
  Ah... So not a Samsung thing, but a carrier thing. I should have guessed, carriers are disgusting. Nowadays it's rare where I live, but not so long ago they even got in the middle of Android updates and replaced the bootlogo with their own branding, I even know of some devices stuck on old Android versions because while the official release is available the carrier never bothered shipping the update.
  I also dislike how SIM cards run independent from the main CPU and can spawn their little Java applets whenever they want, my carrier used to randomly display ads as full prompts that got in front of any other app with highest priority using the "SIM toolkit" feature of Android, which you can't disable. Only stopped after I gave them a call claiming if I see another one of those I'd report them to the consumer rights watchdog from my region.
  
  My wife's phone does this as well (Japan)
  
  Australian here. Never happened... yet
  
  Ooh, it had to be them
- Same thing here with s21 ultra on tmobile. Just went looking and have a bunch of samsung/tmobile/microsoft stuff built in but that's about it. Have been asked I think once or twice with certain app store updates if I wanted to install game apps but declined them and haven't seen any since.
  edit- am US based
- It is probably what they are allowed to do according to the law.
- It's illegal where I'm from and I imagine many other places. I assume OP is from the US where the voters tolerate this sort of stuff more.

The phone legislation we actually need isn’t about batteries, it’s about software.
- https://social.network.europa.eu/@EU_Commission/110696020928017739
  https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/STATEMENT_23_3674
  Sounds like we'll see the effects in March next year. Fingers crossed.

Might be your carrier. T-Mobile had some app like that that I had to fight a few times to get rid of.
- T-mobile apps are almost the entire reason I rooted my phone
  
  It's why I've been buying "unlocked" manufacturer-direct phones for years.
- Yep I have an unlocked S20 and no such problems. Was surprised to see my wife lament updates on her S23 from tmobile because of this.

This is why I don't buy devices on contract with the carriers anymore. They're always loading extra crapware that we don't need.
- Yea... Flashing grapheneOS has been the best I could ever do for my phone

Never seen or installed this nonsense on my Samsung phone. This looks to be some sort of adware or malware.
- Looking at what was installed it doesn't look like the normal samsung bloatware. They're both apps by Playtika, who seem to have nothing to do with Samsung. Malware would be my thought too.
  
  And the "Mobile Services Manager" app seems to come pre-installed on carrier Android devices from Samsung and Motorola (i.e. bloatware), at least when bought from carriers in 'Murica. That "Mobile Services Manager" bloatware is meant to auto-install and update even more bloatware that carriers want to see installed on their carrier Android phones.

What smartphone brand is safe to buy nowadays? It feels like every single one is terrible and anti-user.

I just got a Galaxy S23 about 2 weeks ago. It came with Facebook and Swiftkey as well as a bunch of Microsoft Apps. But no Tiktok, Games or other crap. Even after updating the OS nothing like that had been installed.
My guess is that a lot of people do not read anything and just rush through the initial setup process, thereby confirming things like wanting recommended apps to be installed.
Also there are some mentions of rooting here. I suggest to first give adb a try. It lets you uninstall any app without rooting (including Facebook and Swiftkey in my case).
- +1 for ADB. Online tutorials are dead simple to follow. De-facebooking my phone and killing Bixby are the two things that made me decide not to trade this in for an old Razer Phone instead.
- Yeah, I had a similar experience. I got my phone directly from Samsung, so it's also likely it might have just been the Carrier that did this.
  
  so it’s also likely it might have just been the Carrier that did this.
  The answer is literally in the second line of the screenshot: “Mobile Services Manager”, so yes, provider branding.
- Or you could just not buy a $2k phone loaded down with shitty bloatware.
  Sent from my $700 Google Pixel 7 Pro
  
  Aww yeah Pixel gang 😎
  
  pixel 7 pro launched at 900$. s23 ultra launched at 1,200$. not an insane difference there for the amoled screen, better cameras, and s-pen. let people buy what they want 😭😭
  
  I bought the Google Pixel 7a before this one. Software design was terrible and loaded with unnecessary "features". Returned it.
  I agree it's silly to spend that much on a phone. But the S23 was just under 800€ and I got a free pair of Galaxy Buds 2 Pro from a promotion.
- Did you own a Galaxy before? For how long? In my experience Samsung does this through updates over time. Your S23 is good for up to about 6 years or until around 2028-2029; you will have this stuff pushed to your phone by end of 2024.
  The problem with all the phone reviewers is they put zero thought/effort into the patterns of brands in how they support past models past mentioning how long you get security patches for. Reviewers just do not talk about this on past models in relation to new models.
  
  I did not own one before, this is my first ever Samsung phone. So I can't tell what they might or might not do in 6 years. Owning a phone for that long would be a first for me though. So far, all the Android phones I owned would stop receiving updates long before that.
- Or you could just not buy a phone loaded down with shitty bloatware.
  Sent from my Google Pixel 7 Pro

I'm assuming you are new to Samsung? They are the kings of junk software.

I highly recommend lineageOS, or better yet lineageOS with microg.
Running a completely degoogled android phone right now, and it feels smooth as butter. Microg has gotten so good, the vast majority of playstore apps work completely fine even without Google services, including things like my banking apps.
Feels liberating as fuck, not gonna lie.
Only apps that don't work for me are ones that require IaP's. About 30% of those I can crack with LuckyPatcher. I can also crack other paid apps with license protection.
Mostly I havent needed to do any of that though, because I've found that there are so many great open source apps that do the things I need.
- I also run LineageOS, but some apps installed using Aurora will not work since the phone can not prove to be part of the Google bootnet. I think it's called SafetyNet. How do I get around that problem?
  
  There is an option in the microg settings to enable SafetyNet. I can't confirm whether it works, since I don't have any apps that require it. I've heard it's a bit of a cat and mouse game.
  I don't know much about this, since I haven't needed it myself. But personally, if safetynet uses Google servers or code for authentication, then I'd rather just leave it turned off. Even if it breaks a few apps.
  Not being beholden to Google in any way just feels too damn good.
- Where do you get the apk for banking apps if not the play store?
  
  Aurora Store https://f-droid.org/packages/com.aurora.store/
- LOS heavily hinders feature set, though. I wouldn't recommend to anyone that's not a techie, especially with MicroG.
  Samsung features that'll get removed are:
  • Camera. It'll work in LOS but quality will be much lower without Samsung's processing.
  • Standby time. It'll last a lot less as LOS doesn't kill background apps like OneUI does.
  • Any sort of audio video enhancement. Dolby Atmos will be completely gone. HDR enchantments won't be there either.
  • Samsung DeX.
  • HBM won't work automatically. On OneUI, if system detects you're under direct sunlight and auto brightness on; it'll boost the brightness above regular maximum. You can have this on LOS via LiveDisplay but it isn't automatic afaik.
  • Phone will get hotter when it's used while charging. OneUI both lowers charging speed and lowers performance (unless you're in a game) while charging. LOS doesn't. It might get uncomfortably hot compared to OneUI.
  • Noise reduction in voice calls barely work under LOS. This is especially true when calling on speaker, LOS is borderline unusable when there's even a little bit background noise.
  Switching to LOS for a techie is fine, but recommending it to someone who you don't know how they use their device isn't great. If OP watches a ton of movies, OneUI will have much better experience. If all OP does is social media, LOS is completely fine.
  
  Well, I wouldn't recommend anyone who doesn't have basic computer knowhow try and install a custom rom on their expensive new phone.
  But outside of hurdle of getting the custom rom loaded, I don't think you need to be techie to appreciate or use LineageOs (even with microg).
  It's true that you make some sacrifices when changing to a custom rom. But you are already making significant sacrifices by NOT using one.
  Consider the sacrifice of having to create and sign in to multiple accounts when you set up your phone. The sacrifice of not being able to uninstall preloaded bloatware/spyware/adware. The sacrifice of your privacy as Google, Samsung, and a dozen other proprietary apps harvest and sell all your personal information. The sacrifice of your sanity and freewill, as you are bombarded with manipulative targetted advertisements. The sacrifice of not being able to modify, control, or even inspect many aspects of the behavior of your own device. The sacrifice of not actually owning the device that you paid for.
  So yeah, my custom rom doesn't (quite) have the polish of a flagship OS (then again, can you really call an OS that comes preloaded with a bunch of unremovable bloatware polished?). But all those features you listed are basically just fluff, and most people who aren't hardcore consoomers probably wouldn't even notice the difference.
  I'm not willing to sacrifice my privacy, be exposed to advertising, and have multiple big tech companies control and monitor the use of my device, just to have a camera thats 10% clearer and some 'HDR enhancements' etc.
  I think that there are many, many non-techie people who would agree with this. But simply buy the latest Samsung or whatever because they don't think they have a choice, or are scared because they think it will be too different and they will get stuck if they try something else.
  LOS by itself is perfectly good and usable by anyone, in fact its probably more suitable to non techies than Samsung is, thanks to the clean UX, and lack of bloat.
  LOS with MicroG is also completely usable by most non techies. It just comes with the caveat that certain apps just won't work, no matter what. That's obviously an actual sacrifice and people should know in advance before they try it. But most stuff works great, and people who are willing to do a little digging can often find an alternative or a workaround.
  At any rate, I don't think I was really trying to recommend to non-techies in my original post. I figure most people on Lemmy right now are probably somewhat technically inclined, interested in moving away from big corporate tech platforms, and willing to try new things even if they might lack a little polish.
- You're mistaken. The vast majority of Android apps do not work without Play Services installed.
  
  I don't know what to tell you mate. Have you tried microG recently?
  I'm running my banking app, social media apps, a bunch of games, mail app etc, all without play services.
  https://community.e.foundation/t/list-apps-that-work-or-do-not-work-with-microg/21151
  Paid apps are harder to get working, but I've had some success patching them with luckypatcher.
  Honestly though, the biggest surprise to me was how little I needed those proprietary apps. Usually with a bit of digging I was able to find great open source alternatives.

Ever since the "you can't disable the fully charged notification" update that hit the same week as 5 unremovable apps with full phone permissions, I am done with Samsung. Such a scumbag way to remind you it's not your phone.
- No idea what this is but just a thought, can't you just create a Routine that limits charging to 95% (or 99%) so that a notification is never shown?
  As for unremovable apps, just disable them? I used to get irritated by unremovable apps but they hardly take up any memory on a 128gb phone.
  I read comments saying google never adds bloat ...yet i tend to remove/disable more google shite than anything else!
  
  Limit charging to 85% is a built in feature.
- whats wrong with a fully charged notification?

I just barely had to go get a new phone because my Note20 broke. Was hoping they'd have another in stock but of course not. That's waaaaaay to outdated 🙄 so I got the s23 or whatever. We moved all my data from my old phone to my new one. Once it updated everything I had 12 "new" apps and games installed. Wtf. Deleted most, but some are so damn hidden and protected. Samsung truly makes you know you don't own your own device.
- I was reading an article about how LG wants to do the same thing with running ads and subscriptions for their smart devices and how this will grow their annual revenue to like 70 billion.
  We're sinking into some dystopian shit where you are supposed to never own anything anymore.
  
  Which devices? TV's maybe?
  LG got out of the smartphone gig
- Samsung truly makes you know you don't own your own device.
  Stop buying them. Samsung has been doing this for decades but people keep fucking buying them. As long as you keep buying them, they will continue doing this.
  There are a handful of phones that don't come loaded with a littany of shitty bloatware. None of the shitty YouTube reviewers will tell you which ones they are.
  I got a Pixel and it had very little bloatware. Then I installed GrapheneOS and that removed even more.

What model + what country + did you get your phone subsidized by a carrier? Literally never had this happen on any of my multiple samsung phones.

I have an unlocked s23 and don't have any bloatware. Is yours unlocked? Which region?
T-mobile absolutely pushed crap on my phone - it's why I went unlocked at my next chance.

There are a lot of negative things that I will say about Apple and iOS, but this would NEVER EVER fly on an iPhone. The fact that we just kind of accept it on Android is infuriating.
- Apple once put a U2 album onto everyone's phone so they certainly aren't squeaky clean
  
  Or the App store or iTunes or iCloud...
  Apple fans typically enjoy being locked down and having apps forced on them.
- Android itself is a great thing, and bloatware is not inherently a part of it. SAMSUNG, who makes Android phones is a whole different story, though.
  But just way too many conflate Samsung with Android. Android is like the Linux of the phone world. Everyone can have their own distro, tailored to their needs. Samsung just happens to tailor the more AIDS type Android system.
  
  That'd be true if it were only Samsung doing this. The reality is that the vast majority of Android phones are this way, to various degrees.
  
  It's a consequence of retail. Because carriers in the US determine which phones most of us can access, with the exit of LG from the market the Android landscape in the US was effectively reduced to Samsung. Other manufacturers may as well not exist for all the average shopper is led to believe -- the brick and mortar store where you pick out your phone gives you two options: iPhone or Samsung.
- Not everyone on Android just accepts this. I use a Pixel precisely for this reason. It might install some system apps, etc., but it will never install some bullshit games like this.
- Which is why the first thing I do when I get a new Android phone is to install LineageOS.
- Oh no, no one accepts this at all. In fact, it was much worse just a few years ago.
- The modern dilemma: do you, the consumer, prefer to have apps installed that you don't want? (Android) or to not be able to install the ones you do (Apple)?
  
  That's deep.
- For the exact same reason, I've only been using Pixel devices for years now. Before that, Nexus devices.
  Every now and then, I get interested in what Samsung has to offer, and their top end devices are without a don't often among the very best out there.
  But it's shit like pre-installed apps, Samsung's tooth-and-nail fight against unlocking the bootloader, bloatware that re-enables or installs itself with system updates, and generally Samsung's attempts to pull users into it's ecosystem and sell them more Samsung stuff that makes me keep it at arms length.
  
  The reason Samsung does crap like this is because it's like 20% of the GDP of South Korea, they practically own that country. If Companies had Egos I don't know where Samsung would be in the list of biggest but I know it would be high up.
- [This comment has been deleted by an automated system]
  
  This is mostly true however there are sometimes discounts on phones without all this shit. I just got my son a Pixel 7 yesterday (my wife and I already have one). T-Mobile took $400 off the phone and waved the activation fee. It came out to $4 a month.
- This is mostly for cheap phones. People don't accept it on Android.
  Pixels are essentially the default android phone, and they're mostly a great software experience, little bloat ware and no strange ads like this.
  It's likely this is the carrier anyway.
  
  Not quite true. I have a cheapo Doogee and there is 0 bloat. Super happy with the little brick.
  Depends on company. I know from experience Samsung and Xiaomi are obnoxious with ads and unwanted software so I just avoid their stuff.

Wow. Such thing never happened to me on my Samsung phone. What's your model?

Is it weird that I'm partially relieved seeing this post? I found all these weird apps on my phone the other day and thought I had been hacked or something. whew...?
- You were hacked by the manufacturer.

Might be the wireless carrier bundling it in with the firmware on an update to the android OS?
- It isn't a universal bundling across all devices.
  Samsung will load shit on devices made by them if they feel regulators won't care. This is why I will no longer by Samsung. I wish LG still sold phones, but the Pixel isn't horrible.

On the same page, last android device I had was a Samsung. Great hardware but really shitty software. It had two office suite (MS and Samsungs), Facebook and what not. All those I couldn’t uninstall only disable. Why the fuck I need to have Facebook installed on my phone?

I got really tired of that shit, so I got a Google Pixel when it was time for my upgrade. By far the best phone I've had since my Samsung Intensity.
- Do you use Graphene or just the stock os. If stock what is the stock os, is it stock android or android modified by google?
  
  I use the OS that came with it. Idk how to describe it other than barebones Android.

Disable "Mobile services manager". Samsung phones are lousy with crapware these days so I would avoid them like the plague. An eldery relative asked me why he kept seeing ad popups and his device had something called "Samsung Free" that cannot be disabled or completely turned off which pushes news articles, ads and other shit at him. I just turned off as many "interests" as I could and attempted to opt out of the software but it's still there and swiping left on the home page re-enables it. Samsung phones are absolute dogshit these days. I wouldn't go near one unless they could be rooted and flashed out of the box.

That's why I quit Samsung, too much bloat.
I love my Pixels. Just solid, clean Androids.
- Same. Granted, that was years ago. But it was pretty bad.
- I think I'm going to switch back. The rooting process for Samsung phones seems super annoying.
  
  First you have to unlock the bootllader. For US (Canada too maybe?) models its straight up impossible. And for models which can be unlocked, Knox gets tripped which leads to a whole host of other problems. Even then, you still don't have custom ROMs to flash. This makes Samsung phones straight up unviable for me. Kind of sad to see when I had a really nice custom ROM experience with my first Samsung in 2014.

I swore off Samsung for this reason after I had the S3. I thought the bloatware situation had gotten better over the years…
Had a few devices with stock Android that I really liked (such as the Nexus 5 and Moto X) over the years, but even then it’s difficult to escape some of the built-in bullshit.
Kind of gave up on that and switched to iPhone a few years back… You still get the mandatory vendor apps, but at least now I also get the ecosystem benefits.

Samsung makes nice phones that I don’t buy for this reason. Apple doesn’t allow this. Pixel is another option if you don’t wanna go through the hassle of changing ecosystems.

Proprietary software moment...

This should be illegal!

you can disable the app manager thing and it should stop these.
or just buy an S series phone, they don't come with any non-samsung bloatware. A series are partially bloatware-funded.
edit: this looks like carrier bloat to me
- Sheesh, even my S-series phone comes with a few extra things that I cannot easily get rid of or uninstall...
- ah that must be it.

Great. As an appliance salesman I’ve been saying about Samsung that “well at least they make great phones and TVs” but now I can’t even say that.
- I used to work doing dish, I used to suggest tv brands as, Samsung >Sony >lg and avoid everything else. But after all the shit Samsung does with their tvs, forcing their bullshit on them, forcing their smart tv shit over what you want. I no longer would suggest Samsung, they've fallen down to the likes of Roku.
  On my Samsung tv I wanted jellyfin, needed to side load it. When doing so it blocked access to the Samsung servers and most Samsung features. I had no idea the tv could be so fast and responsive.
  
  About that LG recommendation... LG wants to turn your TVs and other products into ad and subscription machines
  
  I no longer would suggest Samsung, they've fallen down to the likes of Roku.
  Funny you say that. LTT released a video not too long ago talking about how Roku is making a push into the mid market tv brands of performance per $.
  
  they’ve fallen down to the likes of Roku.
  What's the beef with Roku? I'm all in on Roku at home. I even got a new TV with Web OS or Tizen recently, I don't remember. I hated the OS and went out and bought a Roku Ultra LT for it. Have I just accepted or gotten used to the crap? Like the Netflix, Hulu, etc buttons on the remote or are there other problems?
- I think the only thing they make that is competent are their SSDs. Stay away from their batteries and phones. Also their "smart" TVs become slower and more ad infested with every update.
  Never had any of their appliances, so can't comment on those. The exploding washing machine story doesn't inspire confidence though. My 80s Samsung AM/FM/cassette boom box is great though and still works.
  
  Basically they don’t work well with water. All of the samsung appliance complaints I’ve gotten have had to do with water leaking somewhere.

T Mobile keeps trying to have me install their crappy suggested apps every time they do a software update. And I cant make the pop up go away till I go through their shit and uncheck everything.
- Was wondering if I'd see this comment. Had the same thing with my phone. Fuck no I don't want T-Mobile to automatically install bullshit recommend apps! The audacity.
  
  And its been doing it every update, lately!

Just my 2 cents I am on an unlocked S20 and don't have these apps getting installed

LOL welcome to Samsung. This is why I stopped buying them after the S6.
- This isn't from Samsung. There phones don't come with this. It's preloaded from the carrier OP has phone service from. Quit spreading FUD and get your facts straight.
  
  There phones don't come with this.
  Oh go on then. Who is pushing malware onto OPs phone and how? Please be specific.

That is why i rooted my phone as a tech noobie, and it gives me security warning everytime i restart it. As if their shitty apps are not security breach, lol.
- A rooted phone is definitely a bigger security risk if you don't know what you're doing, as anything with root access is unbounded by the usual android permission system, and can completely demolish your OS. Additionally it can serve as a big warning if someone else has tampered with your device.
  
  Indeed, though I have yet to meet somebody that “doesn’t know what he’s doing” in matters of rooting. Basically, the phones that are still the easiest to bootload unlock are usually only appealing to tech geeks, while the most mainstream phones have a much more complex and hacky (if at all possible) process to unlock. So that in itself filters a lot of tech non-savvy users from getting into the subject…
  I’m not sure I agree though with "as anything with root access is unbounded by the usual android permission system, and can completely demolish your OS”. Android’s permission system is imho garbage. It may on paper tick the “provides user with permission management” but since apps that are ill-intended will usually 1) drown the layperson in a multitude of permission requests to do anything,, it will usually translate to the user blanket accepting everything defying fine permission management as a whole 2) finer ID / privacy related data acces permissions don’t even get prompted for access, and only rely on the completely broken dev declarative scheme on the play store. IMHO, the finer permission management solutions that the Android community came up with ages ago (well before Android/Apple even thought fo implementing any permission management) did a much better job.
  Rooting comes with a root manager (magisk, superUser…) that modal-prompts the user for either permanent or one-time allow / deny access when an app requests root that can be secured by fingerprint/password. I’d argue Root managers are more user-stupidity-proof thant Android’s own permission manager.
  As for malicious apps requesting rooting, well, in the end, if the user is 1) stupid enough to download such apps (I’m guessing shady warez / cheat enabled games for the masses) 2) even stupider to accept a root access request from such an app… let natural selection do its job.
  
  Thanks for the warnings, yet i still think a literal gambling app is much more risky. I don't use my mobile phone on sensitive password saving apps or banking apps as i think those are risky on rooted phone too. I am just having fun as a careful newbie.
- A lot of banking apps in europa don't work on rooted phones, so that is not an option.
  
  No problem with Magisk, been using banking apps on rooted phones for years
  
  Fortunately you can use magisk to hide the rooted status from most apps. At least in Finland, I have had no problems with Nordea or Danske Bank. I remember that some app was troublesome, but I think I figured that one out also eventually.
  
  Magisk (latest release) + Universel SafetyNet Fix v2.4.0-MOD_1.2 (kdrag0n github) + add the apps to the zygist deny list + rename magisk manager. → does the job for me.
  
  Rightfully so. I don't think rooting a phone is a save option for banking purposes. I use my PC for that
  
  When you dont know what you're doing it feels that way. I completely understand🙂

I had been using Samsung for the longest time before my current device and lemme tell ya, even with their flagships they pull this shit, I'm always having to go in and delete whatever shit they download, like, no, I have no desire to play fucking ROYAL MATCH please stop asking me

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