Samsung, why are you abandoning your Eco System?

[woodsro0]

Years ago I left Apple over many annoyances. Picked up a Samsung Flagship, One UI was the new interface and it has a plethora of Samsung Apps that all followed the One UI design language, with beautiful icons, complete syncing with Microsoft services, and apps with far more functionality than their Google counterparts, and much better optimized to boot with far less battery use.

Fast forward today, and Samsung has essentially abandoned their own eco system. Gone are the days when the phone shipped with Samsung app defaults that matched the beautiful One UI design language, and we are left with inferior Google Messages for example that look atrocious and completly clash with the One UI design, now it's coming out they no longer ship Samsung Messages anymore, Samsung Email was abandoned years ago, two of the best apps they had. It doesn't make any sense.

To add insult to injury, Samsung abandoned their superior Tizen OS on watches that would get 5-6 days of battery life, was highly optimized, and was showing significant app and watch face growth every year and switched back to a WearOS platform they ran away from a few years prior. To put things in perspective, the OG Galaxy watch was getting 5 days on a power hungry Exynos 9110. Tizen on current GW7 hardware would be in the 14 days or more battery life. It really made no sense for Samsung to switch, the GW3 sold more units than any other Android smartwatch, why would you adopt the losers product? WearOS is inferior in everyway 

We are at the point now where One UI is pointless because Samsung has abandoned all their apps and we are shipped a Frankenstein device with no clear direction, apps with competing design visions, it's very jarring.

Samsung should go back to developing their own apps and ecosystem. You had such a a good business class device when I got the Note 9, and that has just been degrading every since. 

If this is the future of Samsung I guess I'll be forced to go back to Apple. I can't stand Googles Material You it looks atrocious and Samsung had the only UI that looked professional...that could rival Apple....and it seems they want to destroy that.

Can we please get our Samsung Apps back? Can you please develop Samsung Messages and add in AI and proper RCS and tapbacks, can you please integrate Galaxy AI into Samsung Email, can you please continue to develop your own apps instead of pushing Googles stuff? 

[Santaneria]

Team samsung messages all the way 🤙🏽☝🏽👌🏽

features should be developed into Samsungs messages app. Defaulting to Google shouldn't be the only option.

[realaud]

Why would you even have an Android phone if you hate Google so much? I'm old.  I've been using Google products since their inception and I've never had any security issues whatsoever with their apps.  Tracking?  Not really an issue, since on any electronic device you have you are being tracked.  I also know how to protect my data and my devices and apps, so still not an issue.  By the time it becomes an issue, my time on this earth will be expired anyway.

[woodsro0]

I don't hate Google, I pay for Google Onr and YouTube premium lol

I just like Samsungs apps for other stuff.

With the Note 10 Samsung had a seamless ecosystem with Microsoft, Samsung Cloud connected to One Drive, reminders with Microsoft Tasks, and Samsung had exclusive access to link to Windows, all the Samsung Apps synced with Microsoft for a seamless experience...I'm begging to feel like Google bullied Samsung away from it...if you Google...Samsung was on the brink of signing a contract to replace Google search with Bing and Google threatened to sue Samsung over it citing contract issues....so it's not clear cut and dry.

I have no problem with Google, I use their calendar with Samsung calendar, I pay for some of their services... I just don't like the interfaces on their apps.

[realaud]

Samsung still syncs nicely with Microsoft, still syncs with One Drive, Link to Windows works seamlessly (it's too efficient for my liking, but useful when I want it to link). I have to keep turning it off, because I don't want to always be connected, just when I want to. Still syncs with Outlook, which I assume is where the Microsoft tasks reside (it's been a minute since I've used outlook).

No phone maker is going to make everyone happy, I'm happy when my devices do what I need them to do.

[theredflash]

It would be very helpful if the more esoteric (usually new) options had more robust help/info. Perhaps a detailed document that fully explained new options or features in an update. This does not mean explaining changed code segments, the explanations of which should be included in a separate document or section of the user document.

[realaud]

You can actually find that information.  Go to your phone settings/software update. Click on "last update" and it will give you brief information  on what's included, along with a link to the more detailed information.  I believe this information is also included when the download notification appears on your phone.  Most of us just usually click "update now" and don't bother to read all that.

[SammyNerd83]

It's illegal to require a specific app. Google samsung and Apple are all being hit with antitrust and anticompetetive lawsuits from both the US and the eu

[realaud]

It's not illegal if that specific app is what makes the system run smoothly.  As far as I can tell, no one is requiring a specific app, they are just not tweaking their older apps, but people are free to use them. It is also not illegal if other apps that operate similarly are allowed to be downloaded or used.  As far as messaging goes, if the technology behind RCS is owned by one developer, then theirs is the app to use, unless they allow others to integrate the tech into their own products.  Carriers are also free to abandon an old technology such as SMS, much the way they did GSM, 2G & 3G.

As someone mentioned, Samsung is a hardware company, not a software company.  They make the tech and they have obviously decided to focus on their operating system software, not the extraneous stuff like messaging.  

[SammyNerd83]

It's illegal to try to force people to use specific apps. Also enough people have individually chosen to not use samsung messages that samsung has made the decision to not pre-install it or stop it fom being un-installed on future devices. Starting with the flip/fold 6. I just read am article on this.

[realaud]

No one is forcing anyone to use specific apps, and no, it is not illegal even if they were.  You can still download the app and use it.  They are just no longer supporting it with new functionality.  No developer is required by law to keep producing an app. No manufacturer is required to include any software but an operating system and any app that makes the device functional for its stated purpose.  That they do, is a courtesy to make user's life easier.   Grow up.

What the law says is that no *carrier* can fill your phone up with software you cannot delete and require you to only use software they approve of.  They are allowed to limit functionality of certain apps (such as Verizon does), but they have to allow you to use it.  The same would be true for phone manufacturers.  They have to allow you to use other software, but they do not have to support every function of it.  It is for the consumer to decide if that is acceptable for them.