Do you prefer Google or Samsung apps?

If you've ever used a Samsung phone, you'll be very familiar with the company's intent to recreate just about every app/service that Google has.
Google Chrome has to compete with Samsung Internet, Samsung offers apps through the Galaxy Store even though the Play Store is a thing, Bixby is trying to take on Google Assistant, so on and so on.
While these recreations can sometimes feel unnecessary, that's not to say Samsung's apps are entirely useless. In fact, if you take a look through the AC forums, you'll find some people that actually prefer Samsung's version of things.
What keeps me on Samsung phones is that I actually prefer Samsung apps over Google apps. Almost all of them in fact. I won't go into all the details since I don't want to derail this thread with a war. It's all personal preference. And yes, Google+ is dead.
WizeGuyDezignz
I use mainly Samsung stock apps except for Chrome and Gmail. They work well and they are tied to my Google accounts for syncing. I do use Samsung Pay over Google pay. I also use Google Photos to backup my photos and turn off the Samsung Photo backup. I use mixed devices (iPad, iPhone and a Microsoft Surface Pro) so Chrome, GDrive and Google Photos works best for that scenario. I also turn the...
strikeIII
Samsung Pay vs Google Pay - Samsung Pay Samsung Members vs Google + (I don't even know if this still exists) - Neither Galaxy Store vs Play Store - Google Play Store Samsung Pass vs Google's built-in Password - Both Samsung Contacts vs Google Contacts - Samsung Contacts EDIT: I use the Samsung contact/dialer but for backing up my phone numbers I use Google.
tube517
I use mostly Samsung's apps, but with Google services. Calendar & contacts are synced to my Google calendar & contacts. I use Samsung Internet with my bookmarks synced to Chrome via extension so I can view them on my Chromebook. Samsung Pass works like a champ for me. Like stated above, I use Drive for documents & Samsung cloud for a complete backup. Samsung Pay for MST. I use both Bixby &...
williams448
What about you? Do you prefer Google or Samsung apps?
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Joe Maring was a Senior Editor for Android Central between 2017 and 2021. You can reach him on Twitter at @JoeMaring1.
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Definitely Samsung apps, I disable almost all Google apps when setting up a new phone.
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Samsung make apps? Funny, my workflow on a new phone is the exact opposite, uninstall/disable/hide all (instert phone brand here) apps and set Google apps as default.
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The Samsung apps are better, and 700% less privacy settings to wade through and manage.
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Ditto. Samsung phone, Samsung apps.
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Me too, I've ended up using almost exclusively Samsung's apps now except for Maps. I delete or disable the rest of Google's. I have to hand it to them, Samsung's app designs and functionality are pretty slick, so I guess it's not too surprising that everyone's starting to realize this in the last couple years. This probably explains why throughout the last decade a lot of Samsung's long standing software ideas eventually get adopted by Google later on for the core OS. Wouldn't be too much of a stretch if Google just handed Android to Samsung at this point haha.
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Samsung apps except for Chrome and I use Aqua Mail. I prefer Samsung's mail app, but it had issues syncing and I don't like the Gmail app so I had to go 3rd party.
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Mostly Samsung apps. I prefer Bluemail and usually swap between Samsung Internet beta (s-pen support) and Kiwi for browser. I especially love samsung's calculator app as it has a unit converter. Samsung pay beats the snot out of google pay. I use Sammy's calendar because of the dark theme capabilities (once google gets a dark theme in calendar I'll switch). I do love Google keep (sync it easily with my pc through a browser) but I use samsung notes as well for the s-pen support.
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Mostly Samsung app besides google maps. I get it that it's cool to clown on Samsung because of their pass reputation. Boy, a lot of people are missing out on how great Samsung make their apps. I'm shocked that I passed up chrome for their broswer app (btw, internet is a dumb browser name app. Samsung could've named it better and cooler). It's just faster, easier to use, and love their favorite and shortcuts. Not to mention dark mode work across the board. Chrome beta dark mode is horrible.
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Samsung apps except Chrome (because Samsung doesn't have Bookmarks,password,history sync). All other Samsung apps are way (like lightyears) better than Google apps.
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You can sync your Chrome bookmarks with Samsung Internet. It's not the most fluid approach but it works. Here's an article with the details:
www(dot)sammobile(dot)com/2017/05/16/galaxy-s8-tip-how-to-sync-your-google-chrome-bookmarks-with-samsung-internet-web-browser/ -
Samsung has this. Just need an extension on PC. But on the phone the I integration with Samsung Pay, Pass, etc. is top notch.
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Google Apps all the way. They're core apps and they just work and the UX is consistent from device to device. And I don't like sharing my info with Samsung or having it stored in Samsung's cloud. I'm certainly not a nationalist, but I have more faith in US consumer and privacy protection laws than South Korea (no hate to S. Korea). When I do have a Samsung device (alternate between Samsung and Pixels), I no longer even sign in with my Samsung account. Also with Samsung, their proprietary apps are only available on Sammy devices (and maybe android). It's one of the reasons i moved away from using the SNote app years ago and was full on with Google Keep or Microsoft OneNote. I couldn't open notes on other devices and those notes are now gone. Never had time to print to PDF, etc.
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I prefer Google, but totally enamored with Good Lock.
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I de-Google and de-Apple my life as much as I can! I want my info sold to an allied country!
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Google mostly because I don't have a Samsung phone. The Samsung apps my wife uses seem more fully featured though so I am sure they are nice.
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Samsung apps for me. When in Rome....
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Depends on the app. *Internet browser - neither, because I use Edge, mostly
*Storage - neither, because I use OneDrive
*Email - GMail
*SMS - Samsung (Google doesn't let me schedule delivery)
*Payment - Samsung Pay because it works everywhere
*Assistant - both because Bixby works for device control and Google does search better.
*Contacts - Google and I'm not sure why Samsung has this. Does it offer anything different, buy the look?
*Calendar - see Contacts above
*Photos - mostly Google because Photos is great and unlimited storage. I need to keep Samsung Gallery around because they out it front and center when you need to access images from certain apps. -
Edge has nothing on Samsung Internet. It's probably one of the best Samsung stock apps. Even with iMac and iPhone I never opened tabs on different devices, so can't relate to caring about that... personally. Samsung File Manager has Google Drive OneDrive integration. Have you ever bothered to look? OneDrive's app isn't that good, IMO. Gmail is best if you use Gmail. If you use anything else, Samsung's apps are better. Includes Contacts and Calendar (which has been better than Google since the Note 1 - before Google Calendar existed)... Google Photos is good for backup - though redundant if you have Office 365 (only reason to use OneDrive, since Drive gives more Free Tier storage unless you're grandfathered, and has a better Mobile App). Samsung Gallery and Photo/Video viewer/player blow it out of the water... ESPECIALLY the video player. Almost (probably) enough for me to only ever buy Samsung devices. That big a deal to me. Then when you factor in the APIs on top of Samsungs distro - their apps really start to pull away. They just work better. I only use YouTube and Google Maps. Google Pay set up only yo send/recieve money. Dont use it, oyherwise... Everything else Samsung or Microsoft (Office, mainly - though Samsung gives you really good mobile productivity apps for free i.e. dont need subscription to use them with DeX). I might delete my Office Account soon and just use Google Cloud Storage, since I don't require much.
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Switched from Pixel to S10e and automatically started using Google apps. Based on comments here, I'll have to try out some Samsung apps.
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I was in a similar boat, but I made the switch from the old Nexus days though. I did it cuz major OS updates were no longer important anymore after Kit-Kat since Google was adopting a lot of Samsung's software ideas anyway. Plus, the kicker was that Samsung was one of the first of few companies who provided monthly security patches too. So, given that Samsung's OS is quite robust and more polished in many ways than stock, we've luckily reached a time where OS updates are more of a risk than a benefit since you could be inviting trouble like worse battery life or breaking some functions. You could try starting with Samsung Internet, which is like everyone's favorite cookie, haha. (There are some nice ad and tracking blockers, along with dark mode) Samsung Pay is also unparalleled if you use mobile payments, Calendar, Contacts, and Messages are also very good. (Being able to schedule texts is freaking awesome) I use Samsung's Galleries because I prefer not to store my photos on the cloud, but if you need cloud storage then Google's photos would be better. I use Bixby for controlling my phone and Assistant for info. Secure Folder is probably my favorite. You pretty much create a secret duplicate phone within your phone, so you can have two chat, social media, or email accounts for example) If you're a tinkerer or customizer, Good Lock and Theme Store are an absolute must. Those are some good starters off the top of my head. Hope you have fun!
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I bought a 128GB SD card for $20 off Amazon and stopped caring about cloud storage. If I need more, then I'll buy a 256GB for $30, lolol... Google Photos and iCloud only look so good because of the base storage in those phones (Pixel, iPhone) and the lack of storage expansion.
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I use Samsung apps over Google's except for Gmail, Google Assistant, and Android Messages. Ironically, I'm surprised so many people feel the same way and use Samsung's apps. Every time I read about Samsung putting duplicate apps on their devices, it's always an issue.
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I have a very similar set up. In addition to the above, I also use Google Drive and Photos. I too am surprised that so many others feel the same way. I could even sense that the writer (Joe Maring) is even surprised since he states that some people "actually prefer Samsung's version of things" along with his dismay that Samsung recreates and competes with Google aps and services. There is life beyond the beloved Pixel.. lol
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If I had to guess, it might be that the "issue" has been more with the very niche but vocal stock community rather than most of the users. I find a lot of people actually prefer Samsung's apps and don't really see them as duplicates. It's pretty cool though that a lot of people are starting to realize how good Samsung software is.
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I think like everyone else with Samsung phones. Mostly Samsung apps. Both are very good. So I use use both sometimes.
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Lol @ so many people saying they use Samsung apps except..... Y'all use pretty much every Google app that comes on the phone that you don't have to install separately (Gmail, chrome, and photos) those are like the only standard Google apps all the others you add if you want But to add I use Google calendar also bc I prefer it over Samsung calendar
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I do t use Chrome (disabled) or Photos (Uninstalled). I use Maps and YouTube for obvious reasons. I almost never open the Google App, and never set up Assistant. I actually use Bixby, and she works fine for my needs. Everything I can shut off/shut down/deny in this Google Account, I have. Honestly don't even think of this phone like a Google phone. Its basically a Samsung iPhone to me, and best experienced with their software, which has superior integration, more consistent design language, and 700% less privacy pitfalls to navigate. I never want to every have to touch Google's Facebook-level settings nesting for their apps/services No... For Media (Movies, Music, eBooks, Audiobooks), I use Amazon. For Productivity (Office Software, Cloud Storage), VOIP, and PIM, I use Microsoft. I only use Google Pay to transfer funds. I pay with Samsung pay in stores (always works regardless of hardware in store). Gmail exists to get notifications about Google Account or front Google Pay/Play. Maps and YouTube are obvious. But I barely ever use maps, anyways. DuckDuckGo default search engine.
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You're like an extreme case, it sounds like you are going out your way to make sure you aren't using Google apps. My point was kinda missed, I was saying people generally use what's on their phone and what they are familiar with and if you have a Samsung you will have all the Samsung apps but only like 3 Google apps on your phone pre-installed. There isn't anything wrong with the Samsung apps I use the few Google apps I mentioned bc I've been using them and when I tried the Samsung apps they didn't do something the same way that made me switch back to the Google version. Sidenote: you know if you use 1 Google app they still have access to the same info as they would if you all of them
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I don't really use many Google Services, so why should I use Google Apps to access Microsoft services, for example? Most Google Apps only work with their associated services. Keep isn't going to sync my OneNote notes, and Tasks isn't going to Sync my Outlook.com Tasks. I think many are ignoring the fact that many google "Apps" only work with Google Services, and are therefore only useful if you use those specific Google services. Samsung Apps are agnostic. If I sync Outlook.com via EAS, the Contacts, Calendar, Tasks, Notes, etc. all go to the relevant Samsung Apps. For Google, you need to install all of those separate apps; and many only work with the relevant Google services. Secondly, I'm not buying my digital content (eBooks, AudioBooks, Movies, etc.) from Google as I do not trust them for that stuff. If they decide eBooks aren't making enough money, they can shut down the eBook store. Amazon is simply a more reliable digital media vendor for me. Play Music is getting moved to YouTube (ugh...), so that was a good decision on my part. I prefer Amazon - plus, their Fire HD tablets are dirt cheap and good for content consumption. Samsung makes their own smart watches running their own Tizen Platform, which I can Sync with my phone and to the cloud using my Samsung Account - without sending a massive amount of activity and location data to Google. A lot of Samsung Apps are simply better than what Google has to offer. Most of their "staple" apps (default stuff you expect a phone to have) are better than what Google has on offer - and relatively service-agnostic. The advantage of Google's apps is the fact that they work well with Google services for those who use Google services - which I don't; because Microsoft's services work significantly better on PC platforms than Google's. I'm a bit more platform-agnostic than many on this thread, so this is important to me. I have a PC, Mac, an iPhone 8+, a Note 9, a Kindle HD8, etc. That's why I don't use Google Service (which renders 80% of their apps worthless). Because they are an inferior cross-form factor competitor to Microsoft. Not simply because I go out of my way avoiding them. Most of them have no purpose, and I don't see a point in exposing myself to their business model any further simply to ride service ecosystem fences. Hillarious sidenote: Every app I use is available form, and updated just as quickly on Galaxy Store - so I could theoretically disabled everything except Google Play Service and Maps on my device with very little inconvenience. As I've stated above, Galaxy devices feel more like Samsung iPhones than "Google Phones." It's incredibly easy to "de-Google" them to a very large extent. They are the de facto choice for people who don't really buy into the entire Google ecosystem, but also don't want to go iOS. Otherwise, I'd have stayed on iOS ;-) Sidenote: No, that's not the case. 1. They don't have access to my Email, because it doesn't go through Google. Only Google Notifications go there.
2. They don't have access to my Calendar, because it isn't on Google.
3. They don't have access to my Contacts, because they aren't on Google.
4. They don't have access to my Web History, because I don't use Chrome and I don't use Google Search.
5. They don't have access to a history of my Voice Search Queries, because I use Bixby and not Google Assistant.
6. They don't have access to my Tasks, Location Based Reminders, etc. because that stuff is not on Google.
7. They can't track my files, cloud usage, or who I collaborate with there, because none of that is on Google.
8. They can't track my chats, VOIP/Video Calls, etc. because I don't use Hangouts, Duo, etc. for that stuff. Tip: Long Tap on "Google" -> App Info -> Permissions -> Turn off EVERYTHING -> Toggle Off its ability to change System Settings. Repeat as needed for other Google Apps. I can go on and on, but you're totally wrong... -
I prefer Google applications
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I prefer google apps. When I switch phones, my apps stay consistent. I do use Samsung internet though. Only because it is available on most phones now.
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A lot of Samsung users aren't going to switch to another brand, anyways. They're basically the iPhone of Android... so "consistent apps across device switches" simply isn't a consideration for them. They'll buy the new Galaxy S/Note and the same apps will be there - just updated, in many cases. That being said, a lot of us have been saying that Samsung apps were superior to a lot of their Google "competitors" since the days of the Galaxy S2/S3. People were busy ragging on TouchWiz (as if stock was really much better - particularly the aesthetics), but the actual functionality and utility of the software on those phones was always well ahead of Google's curve (many existed well before their Google equivalents). It's actually a legit selling point for Samsung - and always has been, for me. Just picking up a Pixel and looking at those apps is a big reason why I always just buy a Samsung when I get an Android device. The "fairly non-factor" nature of Android updates, in recent years, has also made non-Google devices ever more viable. Pixels seem buggier running those new builds than most 3rd party devices, and the new builds don't really add anything worth caring about - particularly when you're coming from a Samsung or LG device.
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I rather choose Google than Samsung. Actually I'm not entirely in favor of google and disagree with Samsung, besides im more interested with Sony brand since Sony Ericsson.
But if we turn to the past, there have lots of OS until Windows Mobile 5.0 came first in 2005 after 5 times trying since 2000.
Then followed by iPhone os 1.0 in 2007. IPhone was the first smartphone that used itself OS. Then followed by Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 had Chosen by Windows in 2008. A year later Samsung offer itself to use Android System for compete with iPhone. Samsung Galaxy GT-I7500 made itself became 2nd Smartphone which copy idea hardware from Sony mobile (Xperia X1) then using Android as OS. And For sure we all knew that Google already born together with Microsoft running by Windows as OS. But we must not forget to Java who was the first one created apps sinced 1996. So I choose to use Sony along with Google as well. -
That depends on the App. There's some Google Apps that I use rather than Samsung as well as some Samsung Apps over Google. Then, there's other Apps that are Not either Google or Samsung that I Prefer and Use.
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I prefer Google apps, mostly because then I have a consistent experience when I open the same feature in my browser as I do in the app on my phone.
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Actually I prefer MS apps on my Samsung Note 9. I use Outlook, Edge, MS Launcher, Hummingbird, OneNote, Office, and To-Do.
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Microsoft apps (edge, outlook etc) Samsung pay over Google pay.