Verizon Galaxy S8 I think I got the update...and had no choice?

[Tech Idiot]

Got the new phone, out of the box, put the SIM card in, and started meandering around, trying to learn this brand, OS, etc.

One hour later I get a message -- and can't get out -- something about "carrier update features" and click here...and I find the entire thing hard to believe because I DID NOT ACTIVATE with the carrier yet! I can't get out. I turned off and on, I tried to exit out, nothing. Had no choice. I clicked OK and within seconds it was done...and now I think it's running 9 (or 9.0). I am not even sure.

I can return it and start all over again...but how do you "exit" out of getting the updates? I've read up and down here that you can't avoid it. So, what's the right move to make here? Thank you in advance.

 

[mark7914]

There are options within the phone, but Samsung confirmed that all their phones are faulty by manufacture since the settings are ignored.

1. Install Package Disabler Pro (Samsung) - not always available, costs a couple of pounds;
2. Block the "Software Update" package (and while you're about it, block the spyware called "OM Customize")

This will prevent the phone from detecting any updates.

 

[Tech Idiot]

There are options within the phone, but Samsung confirmed that all their phones are faulty by manufacture since the settings are ignored.

1. Install Package Disabler Pro (Samsung) - not always available, costs a couple of pounds;
2. Block the "Software Update" package (and while you're about it, block the spyware called "OM Customize")

This will prevent the phone from detecting any updates.

Thanks Mark...so, does this include "security updates" as well? Is this a smart move? I am a very basic user so I am not one to look out for updates, new features, etc. However, I don't want to be at risk either, simply because I am using an "outdated" OS. Thanks again.

 

[mark7914]

Yes, if installed, the phone will no longer detect or download any updates at all.

I value reliability above anything else, I had an iPhone but couldn't live with the updates and endless stream of bugs, so for me this phone is wonderful since it still works perfectly, just as well as when it left the factory, and is practically bug-free.

But I don't download stacks of apps or use it as anything more than a little pocket gadget to check things (email, Twitter, web pages) when I'm out and about. I don't think of it like a computer, I have one of those. So my potential exposure to security vulnerabilities is a little more limited than it might be for many.

My experience, which has been trouble-free, would suit a novice user very well. But then a novice user would perhaps benefit from security fixes - but those can't be "broken apart" so you can just have those.

Given the plethora of threads about some really serious problems with the latest update, like not being able to answer telephone calls, the limited support for software faults ("it will be fixed when it is fixed if we do fix it"), and that manufacturers move on to their new devices and don't really care so much about how well the old ones work any more since they no longer have to sell them - and - most especially - that you cannot remove updates (a failure of the OS) I consider them simply too big a risk not least because they rarely introduce anything significant and mostly break things. Mind you my opinion has probably been tarnished by Apple.

The user is not given the choice, but I made mine and managed to work out how to accomplish it. It isn't a choice everyone would make.