Are Advertisements Coming to Samsung Galaxy Phones? Take This Rumor With a Dollop of Salt

Advertisements and Android smartphones don’t really go well together. You wouldn’t want adverts popping up on your phone willy-nilly as you try to switch between apps, attempt to use an app or perhaps just be trying to play a game. Some smartphone makers, such as Xiaomi, have been in the line of fire in the not too recent past for cluttering up the MIUI interface on most Xiaomi phones. Now it seems, and it is pure rumors at this time mind you, Samsung is planning to do the same. Some leaked images of what are supposed to be the One UI 2.5 updates show that there will be adverts injected into some of some of the stock apps on the phone as well as scattered around the UI.

The leaked images, published by a tech blog Tizen Help, suggest that there will be ads on the lock screen with a 15 second timer (apparently), there will be ads in some of Samsung’s own apps and perhaps even in the notifications dropdown. The thing to consider is, Samsung doesn’t follow the same revenue model as the Chinese phones makers who have already been injecting invasive and frankly very annoying advertisements into the smartphone user interface, including the likes of Xiaomi, Realme and Vivo. At least it hasn't, thus far. If indeed this is true and Samsung is looking at new revenue streams, it will have to do the balancing act rather well.

Unlike most of the Chinese phone companies who rely on the popularity and sales of the more affordable phones, Samsung has the Galaxy S series, the Galaxy Note series, the Galaxy Z Flip and the Galaxy Fold to think of—all premium phones in their own right. Those users will most certainly not want adverts ruining the premium smartphone usage experience. This is something Xiaomi also realized and insisted that MIUI on the premium Mi 10 will be ad-free, because it is very true that someone who is spending on a premium smartphone will not appreciate adverts. Could it be then that Samsung may consider these for the really affordable phones that it intends to launch, and this might help it further slash the price to compete better with the Chinese smartphone brands?

It is not yet confirmed when One UI 2.5 will roll out for Samsung phones.