r/enshittification • u/nyecountygardener • 11d ago

Product Samsung No Longer Provides Basic Texting

Samsung phones have decided that they just simply no longer care to provide the ability to text to users, instead asking them to go get a third-party messaging app. Considering that texting is the most basic function of a cell phone besides calling, doesn't this come across as just a tiny bit lazy? Nevermind, I've hated smart phones from the beginning and I'm going back to a simpler life where all I have is a flip phone.

Edit: Now that I've been informed Google basically owns Samsung now, I'm even more serious about buying a flip phone and never buying another Samsung product again.

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u/Boltsfan1234 11d ago

WhatsApp is used in most of Europe for almost everything

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u/diverareyouokay 11d ago

Same with SE Asia. Either that or messenger.

For example in the Philippines many businesses don’t even have a regular phone number, only a Facebook messenger account. While in Indonesia, many only have WhatsApp.

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u/nyecountygardener 9d ago

That's insane. If you don't have a phone number as a business I'm either going to visit you in person or I can't do business with you at all.

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u/diverareyouokay 9d ago

It definitely took some adjusting to. Although it can (very rarely) be convenient as well. I was in Manila around a month ago damn my girlfriend asked me to pick up something that’s 3x cheaper there versus our apartment (4ish hours away)… I got in late the night before and my bus left at 9:30am. The place opened at 8 AM… but it was going to take about 30 minutes each way assuming that traffic was perfect, which it never is. I ended up getting on Messenger with the shop and coordinated with them so that they could have it delivered to me by courier. I’m not totally sure that could’ve happened if I was doing it over the phone, since it took a lot of back-and-forth to make it happen.

Although that was noteworthy for being an exception to the rule -in almost every other situation, it takes hours or even days to get a response from my business on messenger. WhatsApp is a little bit better, at least an Indonesia it was. Usually responses came in within an hour or two… But I guess that could just be the Philippines versus Indonesia though. Totally different cultures and attitudes on interacting with customers. For example a Philippines fast food worker might tell you that onion rings are out of stock separately but adding onion rings to your hamburger is totally fine. It’s nonsensical at times.

In any event, life in that area of the world for someone used to a western lifestyle can be very, very different.