1y ago

Updated my Samsung phone and it installed unwanted apps

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482 comments

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.
  
  Holy shit. The only time I'd be ok with my carrier doing that would be if I didn't have to pay them a single fucking dime. You don't get to double dip, carriers. You're already over charging for data use.
  
  I’d argue that it is a Samsung thing. They let carriers do this. Just like they host ads in the notification shade and first party apps in some markets.
  To Samsung. One of the largest companies in the world. Samsung chooses to allow this because they get money for it from the carriers.
  
  Exactly. Apple doesn't allow it.
  
  Let's also not forget Samsung are the ones who give you the privilege of getting built-in ads on your expensive new TV. Ads and bloatware absolutely are part of Samsung's business model.
  
  I'm pretty sure it's a Samsung thing. I'm located in Sweden and they've done this on my unlocked (not locked to a specific operator) Samsung phones ( S5, S8, S20 and S20FE 5G).
  
  I also have a S20 FE and can attest to the bloatware they install with each software update.
  
  Unlocked phones still have carrier bloat if you got them from a carrier
  
  Not a thing in Sweden.
  
  I ordered mine directly from the manufacturer and it doesn't install stuff. However, I also declined to agree to any of the Samsung ecosystem helper apps like the Store or Bixby.
  
  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.

482 comments