Here’s how you feel about ads in Android skins and pre-loaded apps

If you own a smartphone from a Chinese OEM, you know what ads look like in Android skins and preinstalled apps. Xiaomi is famous for cramming ads in MIUI. Realme calls them “recommendations for commercial content”. Even Oppo has ads in Color OS. However, Chinese phone manufacturers are not the only ones who are placing ads in Android skins and preinstalled apps as part of their business model. Samsung is also notorious for having apps in its default apps. However, the company recently decided to end the practice on proprietary apps like Samsung Weather, Samsung Pay, and Samsung Theme.

While advertising can be annoying, it enables smartphone vendors to offer devices at lower prices. Consumers can definitely benefit from this, even if that means seeing a few ads as well. Many OEMs also let users disable ads entirely. That’s why we decided to ask you, our readers, what you think of ads on Android skins and preinstalled apps. This is how you voted on our survey and what you said about your experience.

What do you think of ads in Android skins and preinstalled apps?

Results

The pie chart above shows that our readers know very well how ads feel on Android skins and preinstalled apps. Simply put, they hate her.

85% of the nearly 2,000 voters who responded to our poll said they loathe advertising on their phones. 13% voted that they are okay with ads on Android skins and preinstalled apps as long as it means they will pay less for a phone.

Related: How to remove ads on Xiaomi phones with MIUI

Only 2% of voters are totally okay with seeing ads on their devices.

What you had to say

EasyCare: No advertising. Period. My phone is not free, you can place your ads elsewhere.

Joey Isham: If they upload a lot of ads, the product should be free. Also, many of the ads cannot be paused or stopped, which in my opinion shouldn’t be allowed as you won’t be able to call 911 if necessary while the stupid ad is playing.

Lcd1701: When you are paying a significant amount of money for a smartphone, it is worse to be forced to advertise than it is with free / IAP apps on the Play Store. I stopped using Samsung after the S4 because it’s bloated and unskillable unless it’s rooted and it’s really offensive that they are now cramming ads on phones that you are already overpaying for. My devices after the S4 were Nexus 6P, Essential (RIP) and now Pixels – first 3a, now 4a. Because of this, stock Android is never overrated.

Irvan: I get along well with ads on a low-end device, not a $ 1,000 flagship device.

Joeb Splik: I pay a lot of money for top Samsung phones. You no longer have to make money distributing ads. I read somewhere that they are going to stop this practice due to customer reactions. Hope this is true.

Wongwatt: Ads are everywhere anyway, but that doesn’t mean I have to endure them embedded in a device that I paid money for.

Albin: Absolutely not. But I’m curious to see if the system-wide ad blocker I use to eliminate app pop-ups and cartoon boxes would work for these ads too.

Cliff R: Unless they like Amazon and their Kindle “This is ad-supported” so users can choose an ad-free version, then I think they shouldn’t be there. It is only acceptable if the end user can choose whether or not to choose one.

Notepad: Advertising on a flagship or expensive phone is a no-go. On budget or budget phones, ads are acceptable if they are not intrusive or do not interfere with normal use of the phone.

Jeff Namhie: I’m not so financially desperate that I’m willing to accept ads to bring the price of a phone down.

CR45H 0V3RR1D3: 3 factors. 1: What You Can Afford. 2: What compromises you are willing to make. And 3: Can the BL be unlocked. If money is not an issue, buying the device direct from the OEM can avoid additional bloat (Pixel is of course the best). It also usually guarantees that the BL can be unlocked which opens up the other bloat / ad removal options via custom ROMs, Root, ADB, etc. If you don’t get the chance to play loose and free on your wallet, then number 2 comes into play. What bloat / publicity are you willing to have access to something that you might not otherwise have? Think of it like watching a show on Tubi, Pluto, Pfau, or one of the numerous other streaming apps that offer free movies / television as long as you watch a few ads. The mindset is the same. And last but not least, of course, if the BL can be unlocked, then of course that makes the compromises a lot easier.