11
votes
I just acquired a Samsung phone. Is there an operational benefit to registering it with Samsung?
My previous phone was a pixel. My tech life generally is a weird mix of things that are bad for privacy that I accept for convenience but also in other ways I choose to sacrifice things to protect privacy.
Does not registering the phone with Samsung actually cost me any functionality as a user?
Yes, because it's going to constantly nag you to do so. I loved the build strength of my S21, it took a beating. The main reason I replaced it is because the back started peeling off. But that software turned me off and I'll never buy another Samsung phone.
I'm not sure if it would also work for Samsung, but my old OnePlus phone did the same thing (nagged to register a OnePlus account and had a big non-dismissable "SIGN IN" button at the top of the settings). But the universal android debloater was able to uninstall all the OnePlus bloat, including whatever package was doing the nagging and adding the OnePlus account settings, leaving it in a much cleaner vanilla Android state without all that bloat.
I still use the s21 ultra, excellent phone and plan on using it until it's EOL. But.. I've never been asked once to register with samsung.
Edit: wondering I'd I did something wrong, or more accurately I did something right since not being nagged all the time is great.
I never bothered until i wanted to use Bixby to automate a routine. To update it you need a Samsung account. I do actually really like their automations. I have one running for when android auto connects - my phone automatically goes into do-not-disturb mode and only calls and signal notifications are let through; the other is to fix an issue Samsung caused themselves - their eye comfort shield (blue light filter) scheduling is borked, but you can fix it in a routine.
If you're into that sort of thing, it's pretty neat. If not, then I can't really think of any reason why you should bother, assuming that you have Google for your normal backups.
What's your routine look like for the blue light filter. I've noticed it turns on but it goes away almost as soon as you do much of anything with it for some unknown reason to me.
There are a few feature - Samsung Wallet, for example - that I think you might miss out on. It's also easier to request a repair if you are registered. I think that's it.
I guess I should say that I have a galaxy s10, still going very strong, and almost completely not relying on Samsung store.
Thanks. I have resisted mobile payments up to now. I don't keep banking or credit card information on my phone.
Are you talking about signing in with/creating a Samsung account and signing in with that?
The only major downside is that many of the core Samsung apps are updated through the Galaxy Store, rather than Google Play. Without a Samsung account, those apps won’t update.
If you don’t plan on using them or will disable them, it’s not too big of a deal.