Soon, you won't get free Samsung themes: Here's why
If you love Samsung's massive assortment of third-party themes, there is some really annoying news for you. Starting next year, when Android Pie rolls out, the free themes available on Galaxy phones won't stay free to use. Essentially, the South Korean giant will put a trial limit following which you will be reverted to the stock/original theme. Here are more details.
14-day limit for free themes, says Samsung
Samsung's Pie update is still a couple of months away, but the company is already detailing the major changes that'll come with it. In the theme store, the company has released a notice that says free themes will be usable for 14 days after upgrading to Android Pie. After the expiry of this period, it will roll you back to the stock TouchWiz theme.
Here's the official notice
However, you'll get prior notifications before change
Samsung will change your theme after the expiry of the 14-day period, but before doing that, it will serve you with two notifications. The first will appear one day before the expiry period, while the other will appear 10 minutes before the slated automatic theme change. The company will also provide you certain theme suggestions along with notifications to help you with the change.
Why this weird change though?
Samsung calls them free themes, but after this change, they won't be totally free because the users won't own them indefinitely. "We have changed the policy in order to help our designers continue to create high-quality products and also to provide stable and satisfactory services for you," the company said explaining the reason behind the weird move.
Possible move to bolster theme sales, or One UI use
Samsung will bring its One UI interface with Android Pie upgrade and this policy seems to suggest that the company wants users to go for its new, shiny skin. Also, it is likely that theme suggestions, that the company will offer, may include paid themes. This way, it will not just appease theme-makers, but also bolster its own cut of earnings from the store.
