Let’s be honest. Most people buy a phone and assume it is theirs. You turn it on, tweak a few settings and get on with your life. What you do not expect is a built in hitchhiker that refuses to leave. That is the uncomfortable situation some Samsung Galaxy users in the Western Asia and North Africa region say they are dealing with, thanks to a preinstalled app called AppCloud.
What is happening
AppCloud comes bundled on several Galaxy A and M models in those markets. It is made by ironSource, an Israeli company, now part of Unity Technologies. On paper, it is supposed to help with app recommendations. In reality, users say it has system level privileges and behaves like part of the operating system itself. People who tried removing it found they could not. Others disabled it, only to watch it quietly return after a software update.
And then there is the data collection question. Reports claim it pulls in device fingerprints, IP addresses and location information. A few claim biometric data too. That part needs more verification, but the concern is obvious.
Why people care
This is not the usual grumbling about bloatware. Anyone who buys a budget or mid range phone expects a few annoying extras. This goes beyond that. You lose control of what runs on your phone. You lose clarity on what information it is gathering. And because this issue seems concentrated in a single region, people are asking why those users were treated differently.
This is how trust erodes. Not in a dramatic headline. In small, quiet ways that make people second guess the brand they once relied on.
The messy middle
It is tempting to label this as spyware and call it a day. It fits the modern narrative. But real life is rarely that simple.
Here is what we know.
- AppCloud is installed by default.
- Many users cannot remove it.
- It reactivates after updates for some people.
- Samsung has not given the public a clear or detailed explanation.
What we do not know is whether this crosses into outright malicious behavior. We do not have a public forensic breakdown of what the app does behind the scenes. So the situation sits in an awkward space between invasive marketing software and something more serious.
What users can actually do
If you own one of the affected phones, you still have a few options.
- Check if the app is on your device.
- Disable it and shut down all permissions.
- After every update, look to see if it switched itself back on.
- Take control of your privacy settings. Location. Network access. Background activity. All of it.
It is not perfect, but it is better than pretending it is not there.
The industry problem in plain sight
Phone makers love preinstalls because it is easy money. Mid range devices get hit the hardest since margins are thin. It is the cost of doing business and most people accept it. But the line between harmless preloaded clutter and software you cannot remove is not a small one. Once a company crosses that line, it stops feeling like a partnership with the customer. It feels like a takeover.
And in regions with weaker regulatory pressure, companies sometimes take liberties they would never risk in Europe or the United States. Users notice.
The bottom line
Samsung is not the villain in a spy thriller. At least not based on what we know today. But the silence is not helping its case. When users are stuck with a system level app that refuses to leave, they deserve more than vague statements and marketing speak.
Samsung needs to explain what AppCloud does, why it is non removable and how the data is handled. Not eventually. Now. The longer the company drags its feet, the more this becomes a story about trust instead of technology and marketing.
Update: Geekhub reached out to Samsung South Africa for comment on this issue and received the below response.
Samsung takes the protection of our users’ data very seriously and is committed to providing a secure experience in strict compliance with local laws and regulations.
We continually strive to enrich our customer experience by collaborating closely with a wide variety of regional and global partners. Samsung’s core principles of security, privacy, and user control ensure our customers have the choice to manage their personal data as they wish, with the highest level of protection possible.
