Verizon Brings Its Oath, Yahoo Bloatware to Samsung Phones You'll recall that Verizon acquired both AOL and Yahoo and mashed them into one company under the "Oath" brand. Verizon had hoped to use the combined companies to jump into the video advertising space, putting it on equal footing with industry ad giants like Google and Facebook. But Verizon's efforts have seen mixed results, with a cornerstone of that effort, Go90 (Verizon's Millennial-focused streaming video platform) largely falling flat on its face since its introduction a few years ago.

To try and gain traction for the company's Oath efforts, Verizon is once again relying on an old, company tactic: bloatware. Verizon this week signed an agreement with Samsung that will involve preloading Oath and Go90 software on every Samsung device sold by the company. These phones will now come with Go90, Yahoo Sports; Yahoo Finance; Go90, and Oath Newsroom, a news curation service primarily stocked with stories from news outlets Verizon also owns (like the Huffington Post). “This gets ads one step closer to being direct to consumer,” Oath CEO Tim Armstrong said of the effort. “You can’t be more direct than being on the mobile phone home screen and app environment." As As Gizmodo notes , consumers traditionally aren't a fan of bloatware (especially if it's not removeable), and the effort is more likely to annoy consumers than endear them to the Oath brand. Still, Verizon's ambition is clear: the company not only wants you using its network, but it wants you viewing its ads, and its Verizon-owned news stories. With net neutrality slated for repeal, these efforts are likely to get more "creative" (and unavoidable) as Verizon tests the boundaries of what's now allowable.







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Most recommended from 43 comments



buzz_4_20

join:2003-09-20

Biddeford, ME 10 recommendations buzz_4_20 Member I'll Stick with my factory unlocked phone that works on all carriers. I much prefer stock android, and zero bloatware. en103

join:2011-05-02 3 recommendations en103 Member Another reason To continue to purchase unlocked / OEM devices.

Bloatware is not your friend in this era. Adware/spyware is _really_ not in YOUR best interest, but your providers.

supernac

join:2003-03-26

Springfield, MO 3 recommendations supernac Member Another reason to buy unlocked phones People need to stop buying phones from carriers. I can port my number every month with my unlocked phone, no contract no drama. The only thing I want from a provider is a signal.