Setup and use without using Samsung account - Page 2

PeteCC · ‎08-08-2024

I'm thinking of buying a Samsung phone (A series).

Over time, I've used many manufacturer's phones, and, especially recently there seems to be increasing attempts to draw people into the manufacturer's own 'ecosystem', with alternatives to google apps like contacts, calendar, wallet, etc. This seems like nothing more than marketing to me, and I have zero interest in it. Google has to know all about my details like contacts and that's bad enough but it's worth it for the easy transfer across devices. I positively don't want another big corporation poking their nose in too.

I've got nothing against Samsung in particular, it's a general attitude towards device manufacturers.

So, to get to the point, I want to make sure, before I part with my cash, that I can setup and use a Samsung phone without using my Samsung account at all, and I can replace all the Samsung apps (contacts, calendar, pay...) with the Google equivalents (I did it with an old tablet but that was several years ago now).

Any information appreciated.

Jacqui09 · ‎23-10-2024

Hi I just set up a new A35 samsung phone. Do not set up with a samsung account!!!! The first thing you do is place all the galaxy and samsung bloatware into a folder then go to settings apps and delete or disable them. Turn Bixby off and use Google apps instead. keep your Google Gmail separate, use Chrome or Google for Internet also google calendar and notes and assistant and keyboard don't transfer any contacts until you download google contacts app use Gmail app and not via samsung to access Gmail. Samsung doesn't like watts app either! I use to use samsung years ago and assumed Bixby would be cremated by now. If you can afford it buy a pixel phone and burn the samsung. I hate all the ***** and wanting to know all your private details as well. Samsung forgets we are the customer, all their apps are ***** so look in google play for alternatives. I love android and I'm glad I didn't invest heavily in a samsung phone but I have to put up with it until Christmas when I get a new Pixel phone myself. Keep you media on an sd card and park the samsung defaults. I also use Google photos and hey Google. I forgot how bad companies are at hijacking our info. One day Samsung will get rid of all the bloatware and go back to basics, pity really because the phone architecture isn't bad.

PeteCC · ‎23-10-2024

@Jacqui09 wrote:
Hi I just set up a new A35 samsung phone. Do not set up with a samsung account!!!! The first thing you do is place all the galaxy and samsung bloatware into a folder then go to settings apps and delete or disable them. Turn Bixby off and use Google apps instead. keep your Google Gmail separate, use Chrome or Google for Internet also google calendar and notes and assistant and keyboard don't transfer any contacts until you download google contacts app use Gmail app and not via samsung to access Gmail. Samsung doesn't like watts app either! I use to use samsung years ago and assumed Bixby would be cremated by now. If you can afford it buy a pixel phone and burn the samsung. I hate all the ***** and wanting to know all your private details as well. Samsung forgets we are the customer, all their apps are ***** so look in google play for alternatives. I love android and I'm glad I didn't invest heavily in a samsung phone but I have to put up with it until Christmas when I get a new Pixel phone myself. Keep you media on an sd card and park the samsung defaults. I also use Google photos and hey Google. I forgot how bad companies are at hijacking our info. One day Samsung will get rid of all the bloatware and go back to basics, pity really because the phone architecture isn't bad.

Hi, I eventually bought an A35 too. First thing I did was avoid ever giving it my Samsung account at all. It tries to force you during setup but I found a way round online. You basically have to pretend you don't have an account and/or have forgotten your password. It then eventually gives you an option to 'do it later', which, of course, I never did. Then avoided the transfer app by saying "can't use old phone", you can then use a Google backup of your old phone instead.

Then did much as you did, except you can't even disable some apps, but you can generally take away enough permissions to effectively disable it (e.g. my Samsung Contacts app as no permission to access my contacts).

Installed all the Google apps or third party ones I like (Firefox for internet, Aqua Mail for email, etc.). Got a few annoying nag notifications to link to a Samsung account to begin with (e.g. to backup, or use 'find phone', as if Google didn't do that), but either managed to find the source and disable it, or ignored them, and eventually they stopped.

It was quite a bit of pointless fiddling, but I'm now quite happy with it. Not sure if I'd buy a Samsung again, though. When will Samsung realise that they lose a lot of customers because of this nonsense, pointless marketing BS? By all means offer the option to use their stuff (clearly some people seem to like it), but trying to force it on people, can just put them off the brand completely. I'm going to need a new tablet soon, and I think Samsung are now bottom of the list of brands to look at.

Can't really afford Pixel, and anyway, none of them (last time I checked) had an SDCard slot - this is important to me 'cos I like to keep my entire music library on my device (in lossless FLAC format), which uses a LOT of memory.

Foodiefusion · a month ago

I need help setting up my phone on my Samsung tablet