Samsung Planning to Remove Ads from Native Phone Apps With Future OTA Update

Samsung has announced that the company would soon stop showing ads on its proprietary apps like Samsung Weather, Samsung Pay, and Samsung Themes. The development was shared by Samsung mobile chief TM Roh in an internal town hall meeting (via South Korean publication Yonhap) and separately confirmed by the company to The Verge. The senior executive adds that the company seeks new growth opportunities and strengthen the integrated Galaxy ecosystem experience. It essentially means that Samsung wants to rival Apple and Xiaomi phones that have their own proprietary apps that sync well with other in-house products such as smartwatches and laptops.

Samsung is yet to confirm the development officially and new reports do not share an exact timeline for the upcoming update. However, the Yonhap report notes that the update will come with a future One UI version. Unfortunately, users cannot delete these apps from their phones with a simple uninstall button. Speaking over the development, a spokesperson told The Verge, “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 service.”

Earlier this week, Samsung launched its latest-gen Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 in India. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 has been priced in India at starting Rs 1,49,999, while the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 is priced from Rs 84,999 onwards. The company has announced that consumers pre-booking either of the phones will be eligible for an upgrade voucher worth up to Rs 7,000. Customers with an HDFC Bank card will also get cashback worth up to Rs 7,000. This will bring the effective price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 down to Rs 1,42,999, and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 at Rs 77,999 onwards. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 will be available for pre-booking starting August 24 and go on sale on September 9.

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