Samsung Under Fire for ‘Unremovable Israeli Spyware’ on Galaxy Phones

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Samsung Under Fire for ‘Unremovable Israeli Spyware’ on Galaxy Phones

Samsung is facing scrutiny over an app pre-installed on some of its affordable devices that users cannot easily remove. The controversial app, called AppCloud, is designed to recommend and install third-party applications during phone setup or updates on Samsung Galaxy A, M, and F series models. 

The core problem is simple: AppCloud is integrated at the system level. This means ordinary users cannot uninstall it. The app remains on the device even when disabled and often reappears after software updates. Users report that its system permissions are extensive, requesting abilities like “full network access” and the right to “download files without notification.”

Some Samsung phone users alarmed by unremovable, Israeli-tied ‘AppCloud’ The controversy goes deeper than mere annoyance. The app’s developer is ironSource, a company founded in Israel and now owned by the American firm Unity. This link has intensified scrutiny, particularly in regions like West Asia and North Africa (WANA). There, business ties to Israeli companies are often restricted, and consumer fears about electronic surveillance are heightened.

Digital rights organization SMEX, based in Beirut, formally called on Samsung to address the issue. They allege that AppCloud secretly harvests user data and installs other software without explicit consent. They note that the lack of an easily accessible privacy policy further erodes trust. Adding to the alarm, ironSource has a controversial history, having previously been associated with programs that installed software without clear user validation.

The controversy has intensified in regions where the use of Israeli-linked technology is restricted or closely monitored. Against the backdrop of the ongoing Israel–Palestine conflict, activists worry that pre-installed apps with opaque data pipelines could pose national security risks.

For millions of Samsung users in these regions, the idea of an unremovable data-collecting service embedded inside their phones has triggered widespread alarm. 

Samsung needs to address the lack of transparency, the inability to remove the app, and unclear data-sharing practices. It should provide a full public disclosure of AppCloud’s data collection and offer users a simple opt-out or uninstall mechanism.