Samsung says it will release an update to address app throttling issues

Samsung has addressed complaints that the tech giant is throttling the performance of thousands of apps on some of its Android phones. In a statement sent to TechCrunch, a spokesperson for the company said Samsung will release a software update to allow users to have more control over throttling. Samsung has not provided details about when the update will roll out to users.

“Our priority is to deliver the best mobile experience for consumers. We value the feedback we receive about our products and after careful consideration, we plan to roll out a software update soon so users can control the performance while running game apps,” a spokesperson from Samsung said in an email.

Samsung’s promise follows reports that the tech giant’s phones are throttling the performance of around 10,000 apps, as first reported by Android Authority, and via Twitter complaints, plus Samsung’s Korean community forums. The company’s Game Optimizing Service (GOS) software, which optimizes the performance of CPU and GPU to prevent excessive heating when playing a game for a long time, appeared to be at the core of the issue, but the list of affected apps wasn’t limited to games.

However, Samsung has disputed claims that Game Optimizing Service was throttling non-gaming apps.

“The Game Optimizing Service (GOS) has been designed to help game apps achieve a great performance while managing device temperature effectively. GOS does not manage the performance of non-gaming apps,” the spokesperson said.

Users had reported that Samsung was throttling the performance of non-gaming apps, such as TikTok and Instagram, and gaming apps alike, but Samsung is adamant that this isn’t the case, but did not elaborate on the matter any further. The issue was reportedly not impacting benchmarking apps, users found. That could make it seem like performance was better than it actually was when tests were performed. Samsung has offered no explanation here, either.

Samsung isn’t the only manufacturer to get caught throttling apps. Last year, OnePlus admitted that the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro throttled many popular apps to improve battery life. Similar to Samsung, OnePlus said it would give users more control over the optimization feature.