Verizon Offered To Install Marketers' Apps Directly On Subscribers' Phones (adage.com)

According to a report on AdAge, Verizon Wireless is trying to add more bloatware to Android phones by installing apps from other companies in exchange for payment. From the report: The wireless carrier has offered to install big brands' apps on its subscribers' home screens, potentially delivering millions of downloads, according to agency executives who have considered making such deals for their clients. But that reach would come at a cost: Verizon was seeking between $1 and $2 for each device affected, executives said. Verizon started courting advertisers with app installations late last year, pitching retail and finance brands among others, agency executives said. It has only offered the installations on Android phones, because Google's software is open for carriers to customize. Apple controls its platform more tightly. The proposed deals with brands ensure that their apps download to only new devices when consumers activate the phones and their software for the first time.

Comments

I really do think

[johnsmithperson123]

That Google should force all Android phones to be unlocked, and no contract, even if they have to change the license.

Re:I really do think

[Penguinisto]

Well, if they were truly talking about Android phones... I'll explain:

First, see, the first image shown in the article itself. Then note that it has the following caption: "Verizon has offered to install marketers' brands directly on new Android subscribers' phones, according to agency executives. Credit: Courtesy Verizon"

Don't you just love advertising execs?

Re:I really do think

[tripleevenfall]

Customers do not demand locked phones. Most are too ignorant of what locked means to even care.

If I can delete them. I don't care

[BarbaraHudson]

If on the other hand I can't, the phone's going to get unlocked and rooted. All carriers should take note - we're getting closer to a discontinuity in how much we're willing to be abused.

Re:If I can delete them. I don't care

[Anonymous Coward]

It's the PC industry all over again. Kickbacks for crapware, installed by default. Permanent product placement on your app screen and no option to remove it.
The last Lenovo laptop I bought wasn't able to play Skyrim because crapware kept getting in the way and stealing focus, locking up the GPU.

Now it's a race to see who is going to root the device first - the malvertisers with root certs or the users with jailbreaks.

Re:If I can delete them. I don't care

[geek]

If on the other hand I can't, the phone's going to get unlocked and rooted. All carriers should take note - we're getting closer to a discontinuity in how much we're willing to be abused.

So what happens when Verizon pushes out a malware infested app that roots your device?

Re:If I can delete them. I don't care

[Penguinisto]

One small problem I can see (well, three...)

First, most folks can't even spell "Cyanogen", let alone root/mod their phones.

Second, of those that can, most will not think it worth the effort, for fear of bricking their pricey subsidized phones. Easier/faster to disable the app in question and remove all references/shortcuts to it outside of the App Manager.

Third, telcos can retaliate. A more extreme example would be adding language to their little contracts that say something like "For security purposes, if the user installs or modified the operating system without consent or permission from EvilTelco Inc: all warranties will be null and void, and the phone will be forcibly disconnected from the network until such time as the user replaces the phone with an approved one from EvilTelco, or brings/sends it to EvilTelco for repairs at the user's full cost. Note that all unpaid balances accrued towards the purchase/subsidy of that phone will remain in force."

Re:If I can delete them. I don't care

[ls671]

we're getting closer to a discontinuity in how much we're willing to be abused.

Hehehe, the plan is to do it slowly so the bar raises as slowly without anybody noticing. It has been going on for ever.

Re:If I can delete them. I don't care

[Shadow of Eternity]

At which point any judge that knows what the magnusson moss warranty act is would throw out that whole section of the contract. Also gotcha-clauses like that are rarely enforceable because they lack adequate consideration and there's no meeting of the minds.

Re:If I can delete them. I don't care

[tripleevenfall]

Verizon figures it out weeks later, rolls out a fix, someone files a class action, Verizon settles for $20 million, $19 million of which goes to lawyers, you get a card in the mail telling you to go to dlksjOIjhdhsf893lk3jhflskhfsdkjh384982.com between the hours of 4 and 5 AM on the second tuesday after the winter solstice to register for your class action payout, and 6 months after that you get a check for $0.16

Re:If I can delete them. I don't care

[Locke2005]

You're capable of following the directions on the web to unlock and root your phone -- that's makes you a very atypical phone customer! Most people are too stupid to understand what their carrier is forcing them to do.

Re:If I can delete them. I don't care

[fustakrakich]

Microsoft Store doesn't seem to sell any laptops that run those either.

Re:If I can delete them. I don't care

[MitchDev]

If MS won't, they should lose the copyright and be forced to to release the Source Code.

If they won't protect the product with security patches, then they should lose all copyright protection.

Re:If I can delete them. I don't care

[EndlessNameless]

They want to (not so) slowly move people to OS-as-a-service.

It's not even that.

Microsoft has discontinued OS sales and then support for years. Much longer than the OS-as-a-service concept has been on their radar.

With proprietary for-profit software, you will inevitably reach the point where new sales of the software will not cover the cost to maintain the software. And if you're a business, that means it's time to consider killing the product.

While users and developers both require a stable platform to do their work, the very stability of that platform eliminates the need for new purchases. Just reassign that perpetual license when the hardware dies and carry on. Meanwhile, the developer must support new hardware and new standards, and he must also fix any bugs or exploits.

Going OS-as-a-service and subsidizing the annual license fee to $0 through the use of analytic and advertising revenue... well, that's one solution. I don't like it, but if people are unwilling to pay for support one way then they will pay another. Microsoft has to make money, and users are generally not interested in paying cash for operating systems.

How many apps?

[Daetrin]

How many potential installs are they looking for? If i were a Verizon customer i'd consider paying at _least_ $10 extra to avoid having all the extra crap installed on my phone.

(Assuming of course that after paying the Danegeld the amortized cost would still be less than switching to a different phone on a different provider.)

Carrier Phones - RIP

[Carcass666]

There doesn't appear to be much of a reason to buy a carrier-bound phone anymore, especially Android.

• Security updates are few and far between
• Major OS updates are almost non-existent
• Blocking of OS functionality (ex. expandable storage on SD), WI-FI calling
• Vendor bloatware
• And now, third-party bloatware
• Little financial benefit (what little there ever was) in subsidization

Basically, if you want an Android phone that will remain supported, you almost have to go non-carrier Nexus

Re:You can bet on one thing with certainty here.

[TigerPlish]

Verizon bloatware will be just as unremoveable (unless you root the phone) as Apple's bloatware.

Funny, I don't see apps for Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Macy's, etc pre-installed on my iToys. (I suppose those would be 3 of the "Big Brands" Verizon was about?

I do see things like the a stock ticker, Watch app, and a few other things I can't remove, so I've made a folder called "useless," put those things in there, and away we go. Hell, I use the stock ticker myself to research the health of say, a prospective new employer.

What Verizon wants to do is put "Big brand" apps in your phone. Which Apple hasn't done, and I hope they don't.

But hey -- starting with iOS 10 you will be able to remove the useless built-in apps you don't want!

symptoms, symptoms

[supernova87a]

This kind of behavior is just a symptom of the deeper problem that no one (or very few people) at these traditional telecom companies are fundamentally interested in advocating for the customer's comprehensive experience and satisfaction.

They view every interaction as a way to milk out profit in the short term, regardless of how much of the burden and dissatisfaction it shifts onto the consumer.

Any wonder, then, that whenever the customer has a chance to dump them and shift to a provider/medium/hardware solution that works better and is considerate of the customer's desires, they do?

Re:symptoms, symptoms

[sinij]

They view every interaction as a way to milk out profit in the short term, regardless of how much of the burden and dissatisfaction it shifts onto the consumer.

This is their fiduciary duty to shareholders. This is how corporate capitalism works, by design.

Re:symptoms, symptoms

[BoRegardless]

Boy, do you have it right on "milk out profit in the short term." The CEO needs his retirement parachute, before it goes up in flames!

Re:How much for a de-gorped phone?

[tepples]

As of 2016, how easy is it for someone who's not super technical to buy an Android phone without carrier branding that works well on Verizon or Sprint? Even if hardcore users of Slashdot have a lot of time to learn to do their own research, our non-technical friends and family may not.

For those playing at home and unaware of the differences between the U.S. phone market and that of the rest of the world: Unlike T-Mobile and AT&T, which use GSM, Verizon and Sprint use CDMA2000. Unlike GSM and its successors (UMTS and LTE), CDMA2000 allows a carrier to choose to program the subscriber identity directly into the handset rather than issuing a CSIM card. This gives the carrier far more leverage as to what devices are used on its network. Some people who live in areas without good coverage from T-Mobile, considered the most customer-friendly U.S. carrier, may choose Verizon or Sprint in order to avoid AT&T, the U.S. carrier with the worst customer service.

The dire contrast between how...

[X86BSD]

Apple treats its customers and its views of security and privacy versus google is astoundingly shocking. Apple may be a walled garden. But you don't see any of the daily malware stories, hacking stories, stories like this on iOS. Think what you want about Apple, call them liars, etc but they really DO care about the user experience and users security. Enjoy your craptastic android phones that get better by the minute!

Re:You can bet on one thing with certainty here.

[sehlat]

My "Trash" collection includes:

Calculator Calendar Wallet Game Center (I HATE THAT POS!)
Compass Notes Maps iTunes Store
Mail FaceTime Tips Podcasts
Contacts Videos Music Just Friends
Health Watch News Reminders

I have MUCH better non-Apple apps for all of the above.
If you don't want it and don't want to use it, it's bloatware.

Apple Fanboy Here

[hondo77]

How's escaping the tyranny of Apple's walled garden working out for you? Meet the new boss, worse than the old boss.

Re:Apple Fanboy Here

[ZiakII]

How's escaping the tyranny of Apple's walled garden working out for you? Meet the new boss, worse than the old boss.

Fine because I just buy a Google Nexus Phone and can do whatever the hell I want with it? Unlocked boot-loader, root access, because its my own piece of hardware.

Re:How much for a de-gorped phone?

[green1]

I think you're wrong about why it fails, it's not because the customers are uneducated, it's because the cellular marketplace isn't really a "competitive market".

Now there's a good argument to be made that it can't be a truly competitive market as there are limited numbers of frequencies available, and it's therefore more of a natural monopoly, but the point still stands. If the market isn't free, than the free market can't solve any problems.

Re:How much for a de-gorped phone?

[ZiakII]

Just buy a Nexus 5x or 6x. Works on every major 4 carriers (Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile).

Class action

[bagofbeans]

The purpose of a class action is not to recompense the victims, but to sting the offender a large sum of money so they don't do it again.

It's only worthwhile from the lawyers' perspective if they get paid.

So the choice is to allow the laywers to be paid, or to allow companies to get away with micro bill padding and other nasty activity that isn't worth an individual lawsuit.

What a crock of shit the "shareholders" idea is

[SuperKendall]

This is their fiduciary duty to shareholders.

This is utterly wrong. They have a duty to try and keep the company healthy. Angering customers who then leave is doing the opposite.

What you and all of the other ignorant people that parrot your "fiduciary duty" crap fail to realize is that money is only one metric of a companies success, and even that is measured in the long term. Otherwise I could literally offer them one dollar to have all sales people dress like rabbits and they would be forced to do so because $1 is greater than $0.

Repeat of old Bell Co tactic

[AnalogDiehard]

Before cell phones and tablets existed, the Bell Companies sold their white page listings to third party marketers without customers' consent.

Then when customers started complaining about telemarketers, the Bell Companies offered to sell them tools to block them. They never told the customers about the sale of their personal data.

The Bell Companies pocketed money twice - from the marketers, then from the customers.

I'm seeing a similar pattern from Verizon. They sell direct install apps to marketers, then customers complain and Verizon offers to sell tools to block those apps.

Re:You can bet on one thing with certainty here.

[sehlat]

Here's my list of replacements, starting with the one you asked about.

Contacts is replaced by Playa Apps' A2Z Contacts and Synctastic

Calendar is replaced by Readdle's Calendars and Calendars5

Calculator is replaced by Creative Creek's MathU RPN Calculator (emulates an HP RPN)

Notes are stored either in KeePass Touch, Google Keep, and gTasks Pro, depending on what they're for.

Maps are replaced by Google Map

Mail is replaced by Google's Inbox(Personal) and Readdle's Spark(Work)

Videos, Music, Podcasts are replaced with VLC for iOS. I don't need iTunes to load it.

Reminders are replaced by gTasks Pro, which does tasks, reminders, location alerts etc. etc.

As far as Wallet, FaceTime, Tips, Just Friends, Watch, and News are concerned,
they're in don't give a damn status.

Health might tempt me except it apparently insists on reporting everything to Apple's cloud.
As a result, I wouldn't touch it with at a hundred yards with a waldo.

And Game Center is an abomination that apparently wants to push me into being "more social." Meh.

FYI, I use Marvin 3 and Marvin as my fiction readers, Hyphen for fact books/professional books/science articles.