Health, Pay, and Weather are up first
We’ve complained about ads on Samsung’s smartphones for a while now, and we’re far from the only ones. A company selling devices priced well into the four-digit mark shouldn’t clutter up your display, especially in system-level services like the dialer. Thankfully, ads are finally starting to disappear from devices, starting with some of the company’s most afflicted apps.
In August, we learned Samsung planned to ditch ads in its apps and services altogether, largely thanks to complaints from employees unhappy with their software getting populated with spam. While it’s frustrating to learn that user complaints — of which there are so, so many — weren’t enough to push one of the most successful phone manufacturers to improve its end-user experience, it’s a relief to learn something’s being done regardless.
According to TizenHelp, a Samsung Community Forums manager in South Korea has confirmed that ads have been removed from its Health app. Despite the localized announcement, it seems ads are disappearing in other regions as well, including the United States and the United Kingdom. Previously visible banners in Samsung Pay and Weather have also disappeared from their respective apps.
It’s a significant shift for a company that, not even a year ago, was asking users to opt-in to location tracking to improve in-app advertisements. Hopefully, any of Samsung’s apps that still contain ads will follow suit over the coming months. Smartphones — even budget devices — are far too expensive for users to be forced into putting up with a subpar experience.
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