Samsung Phone Users Perturbed To Find They Can't Delete Facebook

[DamianTV]

https://yro.slashdot.org/story/19/01...elete-facebook

Nick Winke, a photographer in the Pacific northwest, was perusing internet forums when he came across a complaint that alarmed him: On certain Samsung Electronics Co. smartphones, users aren't allowed to delete the Facebook app. Winke bought his Samsung Galaxy S8, an Android-based device that comes with Facebook's social network already installed, when it was introduced in 2017. He has used the Facebook app to connect with old friends and to share pictures of natural landscapes and his Siamese cat -- but he didn't want to be stuck with it. He tried to remove the program from his phone, but the chatter proved true -- it was undeletable. He found only an option to "disable," and he wasn't sure what that meant.

A Facebook spokesperson said the disabled version of the app acts like it's been deleted, so it doesn't continue collecting data or sending information back to Facebook. But there's rarely communication with the consumer about the process. The Menlo Park, California-based company said whether the app is deletable or not depends on various pre-install deals Facebook has made with phone manufacturers, operating systems and mobile operators around the world over the years, including Samsung. Facebook, the world's largest social network, wouldn't disclose the financial nature of the agreements, but said they're meant to give the consumer "the best" phone experience right after opening the box.

They refuse to give you any choice to deny your data to them.

[Schifference]

This will only alarm a few customers that Samsung does not want anyway. The masses will love the feature.

[Stratovarious]

''...the app is deletable or not depends on various pre-install deals Facebook has made with phone manufacturers...''
Disgusting, I've come to expect this from Fakebook.

[specsaregood]

They refuse to give you any choice to deny your data to them.

You can't buy phones that don't have the facebook app permanently installed?

[Schifference]

Maybe one day there will be some type of switchboard service that allows you to keep a phone number but that number is encrypted to another number that keeps no records. People could use burner phones. Their data is not on the phone but in a cloud someplace else maybe that place is called heaven.

[fisharmor]

Samsung is actually infamous for making it straight up impossible to delete apps.
It goes beyond the OS not allowing delete of certain apps - Samsung sinks a considerable amount of R&D into preventing users from rooting their devices.

There was a time when it was known that with Apple products you had to side-load, jailbreak, and do all sorts of back-end chicanery to get anything custom done to a device you don't really own.... and it was also known that on Android phones, side-loading was known as "loading", and jailbreaking was not even a thing.

Those days are long over, and Samsung is pretty much squarely to thank for that. They are literally the Android iPhone - everything is preconfigured, your storage is already mostly full with crap, and any attempts to change that will result in bricking your device.

FBO those here, I have really enjoyed Lenovo & Motorola products recently. Their reviews will say "They're nice but they don't have much value-added software", which is code for, it's a stock Android experience that isn't bogged down with crap you don't want, works perfectly well as originally designed, and allows you to configure it the way you want.

[DamianTV]

You can't buy phones that don't have the facebook app permanently installed?

That particular model of phone, that is correct. On that phone listed in the article, you can not remove the facebook app without taking extraordinary measures such as rooting. Also, my "correct" is based on the accuracy of the article posted as I have no personal experience with it since I have zero interest in getting every $#@!ing app on the planet.

Facebook is the New Crapware that you can not remove.

[Itsback]

I am thinking of not buying any smartphone. Now I have a simple mobile phone (talking only). Internet on my computer.

I got saved from the technology rat race

[youngbuck]

An interesting alternative, the Librem 5 run on Linux: https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/

[ATruepatriot]

An interesting alternative, the Librem 5 run on Linux: https://puri.sm/products/librem-5/

All android phones run on linux as a base. And they can all be flashed with firmware to use Linux instead of android. I'm really thinking about doing this to mine.But apps are a bit shy.