Update 1 (April 3, 2022 @ 01:28 ET): Samsung says it will give users the option to prioritize performance. Scroll down for more information. Article posted on March 3, 2022, archived below.
A new discovery shows Samsung is throttling the performance of thousands of Android apps on Galaxy smartphones. This issue affects many popular apps, including first-party apps from Google and Samsung.
Samsung has an app called Game Optimization Service that comes pre-installed on many Galaxy phones. The name suggests that the app helps improve gaming performance, but it seems to be used to limit the performance of non-gaming apps. South Korean tech forum user Miko They published a list of affected applications that may result in poor performance. This list includes 10,000 popular apps like Instagram, TikTok, Netflix, Microsoft Office, Google Keep, Spotify, Snapchat, YouTube Music, and more. Samsung's own apps such as Samsung Pay, Secure Folder, and Bixby are also included in the list. In particular, there are no standard apps on this blacklist.
A video posted by a South Korean YouTuber shows blacklisted apps underperforming, while standard apps are allowed to act freely. In the test, the YouTuber changed the package name of the 3DMark benchmark app to one of the blacklisted apps, Genshin Impact. An unmodified version of 3DMark scored 2,618 points in the Wild Life Extreme test. When he took the same test in the fraud version, the result was significantly reduced - 1141 points. In other words, the cheat version performed 56% worse than the unmodified version.
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It is not immediately clear if the Game Optimization Service is installed on all Galaxy phones. Android Salad Note that they could not find the application on Galaxy S22 series units, Galaxy S20FE and Galaxy S10s. At the same time, 9to5Google is said to have been installed on their Galaxy S22 Plus unit. Samsung may have pushed this app via a recent software update.
According to a post on Navigator Samsung appears to be aware of the issue and is conducting an internal investigation. Samsung hasn't explained why it's limiting Android apps, but it's likely an effort to extend battery life. OnePlus was spotted doing something similar last year with the OnePlus 9 Pro. The company used an app called OnePlus Performance Service to throttle popular Android apps. The company later confirmed that it added a performance limiting mechanism to improve the phone's battery life and thermal management.
Update: Samsung says it will give users the option to prioritize performance
Samsung has provided more details about its Game Optimization Service app. According to Samsung, the GOS app optimizes CPU and GPU performance to prevent heating issues during long gaming sessions. Samsung's announcement didn't say anything about the app throttling issue, but said the company is working on a software update that will add a performance-optimized mode to the GameLauncher app. This option is available from within the Game Booster Lab.
Here's the full announcement from Samsung (machine translated from Korean):
"We are pleased to inform you about the Galaxy S22GOS. By collecting customer feedback, we are continuously expanding user options and providing optimal performance. Samsung optimizing and preventing CPU and GPU performance Galaxy S22 Series GOS (Game Optimization Service) app has been downloaded.It will be overloaded while playing for a long time.Recently, to meet the needs of many customers, we have put the game boost lab inside the game launcher app for performance We will implement a SW update that will provide priority options as soon as possible and will continue to do so.We listen to our consumers, keep them happy and do our best to protect them.Thank you .”
Source: Meeco. Forum ((Korean), Navigator and her Tweet Embed (via Twitter).
Across: Android Salad
