The Samsung Galaxy S24
capting101's profile

Contributor

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1 Message

Saturday, September 23rd, 2017 10:53 AM

Ads on Lock Screen and Forceful Updates

I have an AT&T branded Galaxy S6 and since a few OTA updates back I've been getting ads on my lock screen. Sometimes the touch screen goes unresponsive. Meaning I press the power button to show the screen and it doesn't respond to touch but it doesn't appear to be frozen because I can toggle the screen on and off. Restart the phone and it works again.

 

I've tried the method of pressing the recent apps button to see the title given to the tile with the ad. No such luck. the title is empty which leads me to believe they're coming from the OS.

I've tried stopping the updates but I've found no setting to disable them. When I decline the updates are later forced on the phone seemingly regardless of what it's currently doing.

I've tried flashing the phone back to a previous state of the OS(Still version 7.0)  but the ads live on. This made the touch screen unresponsiveness get better though. I suppose this will only last until OTA updates strike again.

 

My next step will be uninstalling all the apps that I can with the privileges I have.

 

Please post if you're having the same issue and if you have a solution.  I don't know to do here so I've gone back my Galaxy S4.

 

I feel these problems might stop if I could revert to an older version and have a little more control of the device.

Anyone know where I can find version 5.0 - 6.0 of Android for the ATT Galaxy S6? Or if AT&T would provide something like this? Maybe Samsung would?

 

 

Accepted Solution

Official Solution

ACE - Sage

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116.6K Messages

7 years ago

The adds are probably from an app you installed.   Try uninstalling any suspected free apps.

 Adware can't always be uninstalled, you would have to factory reset the phone, and not add back the offending app.  

Tutor

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3 Messages

6 years ago

This happened right after an OS update. Was it imposed by AT&T to get more revenue? I'm considering changing carriers if so. 

Contributor

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1 Message

6 years ago

I AGREE! Same thing has happened on my phone and my husband's so I would say it's definitely imposed by AT & T. Ridiculous,  can't wait to change carrier . 

Tutor

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4 Messages

6 years ago

NO, I am proof this is coming from AT&T's Android and NOT an app because I am an Android developer and my Galaxy S6 Edge from AT&T is used for development and test of our own app and I have never installed any other app on this test device.

 

Yet, I get these annoying popup full-screen ads constantly when I am trying to test. I cannot find a setting to turn these off.

 

AT&T please come clean and confess you are the originators of these ads, and please provide a way to opt out.

Tutor

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4 Messages

6 years ago

I suppose these ads could actually be coming from an app, but that app was most certainly bundled with AT&T Android 7 or a recent Android 7 update. So AT&T you need to fix this. Just tell us what apps you bundled that contain these ads so we can uninstall the offending app.

 

Thanks for your consideration.

New Member

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25.7K Messages

6 years ago

@erikjthomas looks like as an android developer you would know att doesn't have adware on the phones. It's an app that you have that is causing it

Tutor

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4 Messages

6 years ago

@Anonymous I agree that's how it should be, and I am quite surprised. But I use 6 test devices in my job (iOS and Android phones and tablets) and only on my personal phone do I install apps. There's just no reason adware should have started showing up on a phone I don't use for anything but debugging and testing.

 

All my test devices are pristine from the factory, including my Android S6 Edge from AT&T (we develop telephony features too, so have to have working phones).

 

And just because I'm a developer doesn't mean I know everything about the OS. Somehow an app with adware got on my test device without my installing any apps. I've since disabled very nearly ever AT&T bundled app (you can't uninstall, only disable), and have verified there is no aftermarket app on this device but our own and hits just keep on coming.

 

But I'm seeing others posting on AT&T community that they too have seen ads after a recent system software update. 

 

Is it possible in your mind that AT&T's OS guys who package their flavor of Android 7 could have actually made a mistake? Perhaps they included an app with an adware infected 3rd party SDK?

 

Thanks.

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