Reports that Samsung would be including new ads, including lock screen ads, on its flagships via One UI 2.5 are patently false. That’s according to a collective of sources reported by XDA Developers. The company has already placed plenty of advertisements on its devices. That typically happens the budget-friendly gadgets but also in its first-party apps across all devices.
Summarily, there appears to be almost no chance that recent reports on the matter regarding the lock screen are accurate. In particular, on closer examination, the purported advertisements would appear on the lock screen under a timer. That would effectively force users to wait to use their smartphones. But the screenshots that have been shared have also contained hints that they simply weren’t real.
For instance, the word “Example” was included in the originating post in association with the screenshots. Those were shared via a poster unassociated with Samsung to an official Samsung Forum. Taken together, that seems to be a clue that the screenshots were, in fact, intended to poke fun at Samsung.
Why would One UI 2.5 include ads, to begin with?
Reports that Samsung would include lock screen ads on its upcoming Galaxy Note 20 series via One UI 2.5 seem to have stemmed from what boils down to satire. Namely, a user seems to have created several mock-up adverts on Samsung screenshots in order to poke fun at Samsung’s apparent reliance on ads. That’s not without good reason or justification either.
Samsung offers some of the best smartphones on the market but also some of the most expensive. So many users are insulted when they open up first-party apps and discover ads. Or, conversely, when Samsung advertises to them about new — and expensive — products. In the latter case, Samsung is often looking for an upsell, advertising a new accessory or new smartphone.
The South Korean tech giant serves up the ads, especially on budget-friendly gadgets in select regions, with the goal of generating revenue. By presenting ads on those cheaper gadgets, Samsung is able to offer a more competitive cost. So it acts as a trade-off, just as it does when other company’s display ads in the primary UI or pre-installed first-party software.
Adding more ads, as Samsung has attempted to do in the past, only leads to user backlash. That’s Samsung is probably keen to avoid, given its current position as the number one mobile OEM — making the reports seem even less likely still.
What does the Android OS overlay actually have to offer?
With regard to what Samsung’s One UI 2.5 will include once it lands — presumably alongside the Galaxy Note 20 series, the company appears to be moving in the opposite direction. Namely, it isn’t going to force users to stick to its own launcher to get the best of Android.
Instead, current speculation indicates that Samsung’s One UI 2.5 will open things up for third-parties. In particular, there has been some indication that the company will enable Google’s gesture navigation in third-party launchers. That would be launchers such as Nova Launcher and others.
Previously, Google has blocked that from happening, with the apparent intention of pushing things back toward stock Android. Samsung would be going in precisely the opposite direction if the rumors turn out to be true.