New update on 10 June, 2020: In the original post below, we suggested that Samsung might be adding ads to the lockscreen with the One UI 2.5 update based on early reports. However, it seems that the screenshot depicting an ad on the lockscreen is made up. According to SamMobile, the lockscreen ads with One UI 2.5 is simply a joke from frustrated users targeting Samsung. It aims to show that with the introduction of ads in stock apps, Samsung might make users watch ads on the lockscreen. Thankfully this isn’t going to be the case. Although, our excitement is still short-lived since ads are eventually going to pop-up in stock apps.
Just a couple of years ago, flagships priced at $1,000 became the new norm. Fast forward to 2020 and we now have phones priced over $1,500. And some of the most expensive Android phones at preset are from Samsung. At the opposite end of the spectrum, we are also seeing more affordable phones with impressive specifications.
Many Android OEMs, especially ones from China have been offering the best value for money smartphones for the past few years. And one of the main reasons why these manufactures have been able to do so is by placing ads in the UI. One of the first companies to start serving a ton of ads in their skin over Android was Xiaomi.
Following Xiaomi’s lead, most Android OEMs have now implemented ads in their stock apps and the UI. Ads on budget-oriented smartphones can be written off since the specifications are usually what matter to users purchasing a budget phone. However, Samsung might have plans to implement ads in stock apps and on the lockscreen. This can be seen from screenshots on Samsung’s Korean community forum (lockscreen – weather app). It’s expected that these in-app and UI ads will be arriving with the Samsung One UI 2.5 update.
