Samsung vs. Reality

One year with S22: Killer hardware, trash UI—clipboard spies, unkillable Cloud, signal fails in the field. Who's with me? Share your hacks!

First-time Samsung user here—had my eyes on a Pixel, but no demo spots around, so I grabbed an S22 instead. One year in, and my hot take? It's like they slapped the best hardware together with the worst UI imaginable. Here's the breakdown of what's driving me nuts:

App Permissions: Privacy Black Hole
This is the hill I'll die on. The permission manager is a joke—no basic clipboard controls. Every app can snoop your clipboard by default, and you can't change it. Same with phone ID access: full access for all apps, no tweaks possible. Zero privacy, and it leads to all sorts of dumb glitches.
Storage perms are even worse—just a blunt "let it read everything" toggle. Send a pic via WeChat? Boom, it gets full file access without a heads-up. With Tencent's track record, that's basically handing over your whole phone to social media upload central or virus ad farms. Other phones at least split media and app access.
Samsung Cloud: The Unkillable Zombie
Most clouds let you toggle 'em off. Not Samsung's—it auto-grabs every permission and won't let go. Backups run sneaky in the background; you can't even spot the process. My fix? Block its WiFi and data access. Otherwise, it's just hoarding your stuff without asking.
Background Processes: Battery Drain Central
Built-in apps (sharing, cloud, smart voice—stuff nobody asked for) hide their processes and won't shut down. Want to save juice or data? Flip on "Limit Background Processes." But then WeChat/QQ notifications? Ghosted. You gotta open the app and wait 10+ seconds for messages to trickle in. Same BS with other apps—total productivity killer.
Junk Cleanup: Barely There
No dedicated cleaner app—just a half-assed tool in Device Care that does zilch. Oh, and the antivirus? Partnered with Tencent. Talking privacy with them is like debating calculus with a dog.
Galaxy Store: App Desert
Tons of apps just... missing. No clue why, but it's a hassle to hunt 'em down elsewhere. Feels like a half-baked ecosystem.
Photo Editor: Clunky and Undoable
Hard to pin down, but if you've used it, you know the vibe—messy interface, skimpy useful tools, bloated with pointless fluff. Feels like iPhone 4 had more going on.
And the editing glitch? Processed pics can still be reverted?? Sometimes you edit to scrub sensitive info, but nope—original and new cram into one file. Export to PC, and boom, recoverable with basic tricks (no direct undo, but easy enough). A 2022 phone that can't "Save as New"? Wild.

Oh, and Samsung's not even pricey—cheaper than Apple or Huawei flagships. But "black tech" hype? Foldables are niche AF—who's dropping extra for that when an iPad exists? NFC? Every Android has it now, and Samsung's version is the clunkiest: demands sketchy perms and skimps on features.