'Unremovable Israeli spyware' on your Samsung phone? Here's what the controversy is all about

Samsung has found itself at the center of controversy over an app that’s pre-installed on some of its affordable devices shipped in certain parts of the world. The app, named “AppCloud,” enables recommendations for third-party apps when you set up or update a new Galaxy A, M, or F series device. While it has been considered an inconvenience, the app’s ties to Israel have stirred up a new commotion online.

AppCloud, as I mentioned above, has been perceived as an annoyance, particularly since it makes it difficult for users to completely eliminate these suggestions. This persistent behavior has earned it the label of bloatware, which may be used to generate additional revenue for Samsung, as the company sells certain devices at lean margins while competing with Chinese brands.

However, the app’s developer is an Israeli-founded company named ironSource, leading to claims that the app may be used as a surveillance tool to install spyware on users’ phones without their knowledge, particularly in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and India. Notably, ironSource is now owned by Unity. Although the controversy itself isn’t new — it has been discussed for almost two years, at least, it has been trending on X recently.

The recent fuel to the controversy appears to be a post on X from an account named International Cyber Digest. The post, which received 7.4 million impressions, alleges that AppCloud is an “unremovable Israeli Spyware Found on Samsung Devices.” The post also mentions an open letter published earlier this year by SMEX, a digital rights organization from Lebanon.

In its analysis, SMEX alleges that ironSource uses AppCloud to harvest users’ data, and its existence on Samsung phones poses “serious legal and ethical implications” in West Asia and North Africa (WANA) countries, where Israel is typically prevented from doing business.

What makes it more severe is that AppCloud, given its system app permissions, cannot be easily uninstalled. The app can be removed using ADB commands, although most users are unlikely to be proficient with or aware of these measures.

This claim is also backed by ironSource’s previous delving into services that allowed developers to bundle additional applications with app installers on Windows and macOS. These bundled apps, powered by a service called “installCore,” would enable monetization options for developers. However, since it operated without explicit user information, it was labeled by anti-malware clients as a “potentially unwanted program (PUP).”

While AppCloud’s use for spying has yet to be confirmed, the service being pre-installed and difficult to remove is potentially unnerving for users. With this uproar, we could expect Samsung to provide users with the option to uninstall or disable AppCloud — at least to turn off recommendations permanently.

None of that, however, is guaranteed. We’ve reached out to Samsung for its stance on the matter and will update this piece once we hear from it.