Anyone notice Samsung Store installed TikTok App on your phone without your permission?

[donm527]

It's 12:24 am 3/25/2022 as I type this.

I am about to go to sleep and play todays Wordel on my Chrome before going to sleep

I'm closing my apps and for some reason I go to my app drawer and see the TikTok app in my drawer

I wonder how the heck it got there??!! I go to Google Play store to look at all recent apps and TikTok is not showing.

I go to the Samsung Store to see My Apps... and it says downloaded on 3/25/2022! But I haven't opened the Samsung App in last 24 minutes into this early 3/25. So how did it get installed through the Samsung Store if I wasn't in the Store app in last half hour?!! I was in Samsung Store app about 3 hours before around 9:30pm EST and there were Samsung Update available. But none were TikToK and I didn't install.

Very curious. Very concerning. And if Samsung was pushing it without my permission like they try to push Ads when you open the app even if you keep saying Don't Show This Anymore, then this is very upsetting.

So checking if anyone had any similar experience??

 

[Laura Knotek]

No TikTok was installed on my unlocked S22 Ultra. I did get the March update.

 

[B. Diddy]

Who's your carrier? Some carriers sneak junk like their AppSelector on their phones, which can install apps separately from the Play Store or Galaxy Store: https://www.t-mobile.com/support/plans-features/t-mobile-appselector

 

[L0n3N1nja]

Hasn't happened to my Note 20U

 

[donm527]

Who's your carrier? Some carriers sneak junk like their AppSelector on their phones, which can install apps separately from the Play Store or Galaxy Store: https://www.t-mobile.com/support/plans-features/t-mobile-appselector

AT&T. Ran my BitDefender a few times just out of paranoia lol and came up clean so uninstalled it and left with a head scratcher.

 

[Jell Lee]

it's not the samsung company that forces installation of some apps, it's the carrier that does it. Each carrier has contract or is sponsored(?) by those app devs to force install apps during the setup process and or randomly here and there during updates. You find something like Mobile system management(?) for ATT and Verizon has their own thing and such...

 

[DessClark]

Yes, I just had Tik Tok installed on my Samsung Galaxy S20 phone at 4:21 pm (July 27th) without my permission or intentional activity to make this happen. I received a notification flash, this is how I was told it had finished inslalling ! I checked my systems / apps and sure enough, it was installed today. From my phones systems setting, I did click UNINSTALL and it was removed (at least it looks gone). VERY CONCERNING. I did NOT go to the Galaxy store today, or any day that I can recall. The only difference is I did connect my phone to the Galaxy 4 Samsung smart watch to use with Samsung health (which i really like). There were no updates today. Last one was several days ago or ~ 1 week ago. Currently I use a Verizon network. I have NEVER wanted to install Tik Tok, but have noticed constantly moving ads for Tik Tok and if you do go to the Galaxy Store front screen, Tik Tok is listed as "editors choice". I took a picture of the notification with my Samsung J3 phone, which did NOT install Tik Tok. My husband's Samsung Galaxy S22 also does NOT have the Tik Tok app installed. why me? He also has a smartwatch Galaxy 4 with the Samsung Health app, but didn't have Tik Tok forced on him. I feel completely invaded. Personally, I am NOT a video watcher, apart from YouTube on my laptop. so again, why? I thought I still lived in America.

 

[hermencinastarter]

It didn't happen on my Samsung S10+. All applications that are on my phone were downloaded by me. Maybe the settings on your phone allowed you to download certain applications automatically. You need to check it out. I downloaded Tik Tok on my phone. Until now, I have never used TikTok, but now I feel like I need it. All my friends are discussing some videos from TikTok, but I have no idea what it is about, and I feel like an outcast or something. It is clear that I do not know how to use TikTok, and I found a TikTok guide. This helps me learn everything faster and start using TikTok.

 

[J Dubbs]

AT&T. Ran my BitDefender a few times just out of paranoia lol and came up clean so uninstalled it and left with a head scratcher.

Is your phone an AT&T branded phone or unlocked? That would be a deal breaker for me... if my factory unlocked ZFlip 3 on AT&T installs TikTok without my permission, it will 100% be the last Samsung phone I ever own.

 

[anon(50597)]

Is your phone an AT&T branded phone or unlocked? That would be a deal breaker for me... if my factory unlocked ZFlip 3 on AT&T installs TikTok without my permission, it will 100% be the last Samsung phone I ever own.

I think it's shady but it wouldn't stop me from buying their phones. I would just delete it.

 

[mustang7757]

Is your phone an AT&T branded phone or unlocked? That would be a deal breaker for me... if my factory unlocked ZFlip 3 on AT&T installs TikTok without my permission, it will 100% be the last Samsung phone I ever own.

That can easily be uninstalled

 

[J Dubbs]

I think it's shady but it wouldn't stop me from buying their phones. I would just delete it.

That would be just a little too shady for me to accept (especially TikTok)... it's a principle thing

I have to be honest though, I don't 100% trust Samsung with my most sensitive data... financial, medical, personal, any of it. I'm not sure if it's because of the shady web services they've got caught sharing customer data with multiple times, or their audacity about trying to put ads all over their already super expensive phones, or maybe it's just the fact they operate halfway around the world... kinda like China, and I wonder what reasons they would really have to respect our data?

I know American companies are legally bound to respect our data, which gives me some peace of mind (although I know they have their issues :-\ )... but what about South Korea? How do you guys and gals feel about it? Especially with the way the world kind of feels like a free-for-all right now.

I'd love to hear your opinions... I'm having some trust issues here lol.

 

[anon(50597)]

That would be just a little too shady for me to accept (especially TikTok)... it's a principle thing

I have to be honest though, I don't 100% trust Samsung with my most sensitive data... financial, medical, personal, any of it. I'm not sure if it's because of the shady web services they've got caught sharing customer data with multiple times, or their audacity about trying to put ads all over their already super expensive phones, or maybe it's just the fact they operate halfway around the world... kinda like China, and I wonder what reasons they would really have to respect our data?

I know American companies are legally bound to respect our data, which gives me some peace of mind (although I know they have their issues :-\ )... but what about South Korea? How do you guys and gals feel about it? Especially with the way the world kind of feels like a free-for-all right now.

I'd love to hear your opinions... I'm having some trust issues here lol.

Let's face it JD, the purpose of every tech company in this day and age is to make boatloads of money off us. They do it buy selling us expensive phones, expensive services and using some of our data for profit. Unless we want to ditch technology, the Internet, etc. there's not much we can do except be smart.

The way I figure, if they want to keep us as consumers, they better protect us as best they can from the real criminals, the individuals or foreign governments who are looking to drain our bank accounts. That's what I'm more worried about.

 

[J Dubbs]

Let's face it JD, the purpose of every tech company in this day and age is to make boatloads of money off us. They do it buy selling us expensive phones, expensive services and using some of our data for profit. Unless we want to ditch technology, the Internet, etc. there's not much we can do except be smart.

The way I figure, if they want to keep us as consumers, they better protect us as best they can from the real criminals, the individuals or foreign governments who are looking to drain our bank accounts. That's what I'm more worried about.

Me too

 

[sdmf74]

Tik tok keeps downloading & trying to install itselfon my Samsung phone. This is pissing me off bigtime. I do NOT want some Chinese communist spy app downloaded to my secure folder w/out my permission!

This has happened repeatedly for a long time on republic wireless & now on boostinfinite.

I actually am not surprised at all that ATT (basically communists) would be forcing this crap Spyware down outer throats!

 

[spARTacus]

I wonder if the the ATT terms and conditions actually indicates that users have accepted that ATT is allowed to do this?

Personally, unless a phone is owned by the carrier, I see no reason why a carrier should be allowed to install anything on any phones.

 

[joeldf]

I wonder if the the ATT terms and conditions actually indicates that users have accepted that ATT is allowed to do this?

Personally, unless a phone is owned by the carrier, I see no reason why a carrier should be allowed to install anything on any phones.

Me and my family are all on AT&T. 3 of us using Samsung phones, and my wife on an iPhone. None of us have had this forced on us. Can't say I've checked the TOS to see if they can do this.