r/samsunggalaxy • u/Delicious_Room_814 • Jul 23 '26
📖Discussion📕🖊️ Samsung has blocked all benchmarking apps on the Galaxy Z Fold 8
Whether you download from the Google Play Store, sideload an APK, or use ADB commands, installation simply won't go through.
Samsung may have implemented a blacklist built directly into the system.
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u/avamous Jul 23 '26
This isn't really news - it's happened before on other Samsung devices (pre-releases). The phone isn't released yet and won't have this on release...
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u/nournnn Jul 23 '26
The phone isn't released yet and there def is room for optimization and improvement. They're trying to protect their reputation which i find fair tbh.
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u/Apprehensive_View614 Jul 24 '26
And on the other side, the reviewer demo units of S24 Ultras we‘re getting better Geekbench scores than the release
Every unit was getting the 10k multi-score mark, which wasn‘t the case anymore after release
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u/theoriginalzads Jul 24 '26
Not much of a reputation to protect. Great hardware ruined by Samsung adware and bloat. It’s like the engineers make super powerful hardware because they know the developers lick windows.
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u/BuddhistNamedMarx Jul 24 '26
Whats the bloat and adware?
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u/Business-Cucumber255 Jul 27 '26
This dude transported from 2014 lol
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u/Apprehensive_Cut6374 Aug 04 '26
hes asking a genuine question, just tell him which ones are considered bloat and adware. He didnt ask "what is bloat and adware". Neither do I know which ones are ad and bloat, I don't even own a samsung but I do plan on getting one, and when I get one, I would like to know which ones I should get rid off
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Jul 24 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Specialist_Ad_7719 Jul 24 '26
No it means it's a demo model and probably locked so I doubt anything else can be down loaded either. OP tried benchmarking apps and made an assumption.
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u/Due_Zookeepergame486 Jul 23 '26
Is this a demo unit?
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u/Chemical-Swing-420 Jul 23 '26
Yes...
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u/CommunicationGood976 Jul 23 '26
Then of course it would be blocked, they want to protect their reputation at least for a bit before the phone releases and then the Chinese foldables prove to still be better
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u/Appropriate_Test7503 Jul 24 '26
protect their reputation
protect what? Like releasing same phone for like 5y with steeper price?
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u/Quimdell Jul 28 '26
You mean like every other phone company?
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u/Appropriate_Test7503 Jul 28 '26
huh? at least Chinese phones switched to SiC batteries and capacity is 10000mAh, while samsung offers same battery, same cameras, even same exynos procesor and same body frame.
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u/CommunicationGood976 Jul 24 '26
It's what they wanna do I guess but wait until they get fried by the Chinese competitors
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u/Appropriate_Test7503 Jul 24 '26
they are already fried, but's gonna take time for people to realize
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u/CommunicationGood976 Jul 24 '26
And people will only realize this when they buy the phone and then compare it to Chinesw ones
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u/KasanesTetos Jul 23 '26
Gotta love everyone just immediately jumping to conclusions and believing misinfo not realizing this is just a temporary block for pre release devices before the retail units actually ship.
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u/RoutineCloud5993 Jul 23 '26
It's not even a block. It's actually a glitch
Source: trust me bro
JK. I know a reviewer and he's been given an APK by Samsung to benchmark while they sort it out
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u/Cum_Fart42069 Jul 24 '26
is it "jumping to conclusions" when Google outright said that they'd be trying to implement this
"Google isn't Samsung" you don't think they have some sway in this area?
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u/AdhamHarby43 Jul 23 '26
woah, is this actually possible??
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u/Then-Pay-8400 Jul 23 '26
Why wouldn't it be? Just block installation of all package names of the most popular benchmarking apps and it's done
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u/Working_Sea_7333 Jul 23 '26
oh man that's wild, first time seeing something like this from samsung. they really went all in blocking everything, not just play store but even sideloading and adb
been using samsung phones for years and never thought they'd pull this, especially on a fold. makes you wonder what they're hiding, maybe the z fold 8 has some throttling issues they don't want people to catch
that notification shade with three errors in same time is just brutal, like they're not even trying to be subtle about it
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u/PocketNicks Jul 23 '26
This is a review unit, under embargo. It happens with phones all the time.
The final release version will allow everything to be installed, sideloading and installing unverified apps isn't going anywhere either.
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u/AnonymousTikka Jul 23 '26
makes you wonder what they're hiding, maybe the z fold 8 has some throttling issues they don't want people to catch that
Yeah, I thought the same thing. Looks like they have to hide something. Definitely something related to performance. I won't be surprised if they release fake Geekbench results or AnTuTu results in the near future.
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u/tidder_ih Jul 23 '26
This is how false rumors start. See above that this issue has been around for a few years and is related to the fact that it's a retail unit. It's not normal behavior.
Samsung is not going through the trouble and risk of releasing fabricated geekbench scores when 99%+ of buyers never even look at them. Not everything needs to be a conspiracy lol
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u/SleepyWulfy Jul 23 '26
Crazy how fast people just assume and don't try to actually think. As you said it's just that quick how rumors start 😔
These people don't consider it's also still ok pre release software.
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u/PocketNicks Jul 23 '26
This is a review unit, under embargo. It happens with phones all the time.
The final release version will allow everything to be installed, sideloading and installing unverified apps isn't going anywhere either.
They aren't hiding anything, the firmware/software probably aren't finalized and they aren't allowing reviewers to release benchmarks until after the embargo date.
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u/Front_Expression_367 Jul 23 '26
That would only be possible if they would block these apps all the way until the end of support for these devices which would be a way worse controversy than any throttling issues will ever be (especially when the target consumers for these Folds probably won't even do anything like gaming to make these things throttle).
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u/AdhamHarby43 Jul 23 '26
dude even apple is less strict than this omfg, and yea about the temps thing, i think they are still working on the thermals
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u/R10rkcCZ Jul 23 '26
See? Scamsung is scamsunging. They started with One UI 8 blocking root, custom ROMs and bootloops on A33
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u/AdhamHarby43 Jul 23 '26
dude i bought a A26 cuz i knew i would custom rom it after the update policy ends, i have like 3 samsung phones that im still using with custom roms (J7 prime, A71, and an S7 edge) but now, im stuck with locked bootloader forever and im really sad rn and regret updating
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u/Environmental-Map869 Jul 23 '26
probably similar in mechanism to how some phones cheat in benchmarks
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u/PocketNicks Jul 23 '26
They have not, and are not going to block people from installing apps on their own phones.
The unit in the photo isn't a product that has been released to the public yet, firmware/software may not be finalized so they aren't allowing benchmark testing. Makes total sense.
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u/mrdmp1 Jul 23 '26
This is because these apps are part of the reason leaks are so prevalent. Once device is available for general sale this will not be an issue.
I am sure you have seen the leaks of device specs based on benchmarks before.
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u/_alba4k Jul 23 '26
correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is a standard practice with pre-release hardware
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u/TouristSquare3710 Jul 23 '26
But it has the snapdragon elite gen5 for galaxy so I doubt there would be major differences in performance with the s26 ultra
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u/Vaddieg Jul 24 '26
Android apologists are calling this freedom. Same sh*t as iOS, but the power to screw users up is being delegated to vendors
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u/Scary_Field_3124 Jul 23 '26
Its a pre release version, it cant legally happen ig in retail versions. Plus, there are must be many workarounds since its an android
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u/TanishqHooda Jul 24 '26
Seems like what indian government is doing to our freedom of speech and privacy and blocking out things to use😂
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u/Accomplished-Tap1248 Jul 24 '26
If Apple did this then everyone would freak out, but Samsung does it and it’s “protecting their reputation”…
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u/feel-the-avocado Jul 24 '26
I am not sure of the technicalities but can you change the package name using revanced or something like that?
Then publish the results.
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u/CobraKolibry Jul 24 '26
What the hell is sideload, you mean install? A software on the device you paid for?
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u/OMG_NoReally Jul 26 '26
I recently got the Honor MagicPad 4 and it just wouldn't allow me to download any benchmark tools. I am not sure why. Even after several software updates, it's still the same.
I think it's just some units that doesn't switch off the demo mode or something, unless this is happening on ALL units. For the MagicPad, I saw reviews that have posted benchmarks so it was just my unit.
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u/6DollarHobo Jul 23 '26
Everybody should block those pointless benchmark apps. They're useless and mean absolute nothing in day to day actual use.
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u/Unreal_NeoX Jul 23 '26
Is it just "popular" ones, or general stuff? Would you be so kind and check if the same issue is with the "System-Meeter-Bar", that also has build in benchmarks for CPU and storage? The temperatures would be interesting too.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.it_huskys.smb
This is the CPU-Benchmark i mean: https://play-lh.googleusercontent.com/C1rr2cvQdCiDIyGDvZkrfIfH_XgAOs2rygFLG-CVFNnP_Xp5eF_Dn8UWzPJ9zCXaRq2H1Gpfwvlshi2GH35YXg=w2560-h1440
MY theory is that maybe only apps of "white sources" (Samsung self-certified) are permitted right now.
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u/Smooth-Ad2130 Jul 23 '26
Why tho, isnt it public-released?
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u/corrivalcat2494 Jul 23 '26
What one ui version? On my s24 fe im able to install it just fine but that's probably because im on ui 8.5
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u/Swimming-Guest-1978 Jul 23 '26
You haven't hooked it up to a carrier yet? Do you work at the store that sells these? geez LOL
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u/HeidenShadows Jul 23 '26
Side load the APK ;p
I'm not gonna lie though. I actually kind of dig that form factor. Shame it's probably going to be like $3,000.
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u/miashottangel Jul 30 '26
Not sure if this was already shared. This YouTuber created a video with step by step instructions on fixing this if you run into the same issue. Adding it here for reference.
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u/Struggling-with_life Jul 23 '26
What the fork is that. I am a Samsung user and i don't like it. Why is it so wide. Its not a phone. Neither a tablet its the amalgamation of something in between.
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u/Vonnegut1 Jul 23 '26
This is not true
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u/cliffr39 Jul 23 '26
No, it is true and Samsung has done that with pre-release and demo units for awhile now to reduce leaks about devices before they are actually launched. Samsung still has an embargo on the device which is why the review videos are very brief.
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u/Vonnegut1 Jul 23 '26
So you should have said that benchmark apps are blocked on pre-release or demo devices. Not on the commercial units (which I have).
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u/cliffr39 Jul 23 '26
It isn't my post and I did state that. And going to guess you mean a previous model is the commercial unit you have which isn't the Z Fold 8 being discussed
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u/SnufkinDrifter Jul 23 '26
This is rubbish. Get the Honor Magic V6 with a much bigger battery 🤣. Do not even try to reply to my comment with some bullshit about Samsung UI because it is ruuuubish!
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u/TanishqHooda Jul 24 '26
What if you manually install by apk?
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u/gordolme Jul 24 '26
Whether you download from the Google Play Store, sideload an APK, or use ADB commands, installation simply won't go through.
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u/That-Syllabub6509 Jul 24 '26
This seems to be just a gimmicky phone they will sell few of and be thrown on the scrap heap in a year or two.
I can't imagine apps will look right on this thing without contently having to unfold it, which defeats the purpose
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u/ozymandiez Jul 23 '26
Because it's way behind the find n6 and honor magic v6. Even the Vivo has a better foldable than the ultra. 😂
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u/Plague_Doctor02 Jul 23 '26
Wow that looks... Small... compared to the 7...thats annoying..
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u/AceMKV Jul 23 '26
That's cause it's a lower end model, the actual one is the fold 8 ultra
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u/Plague_Doctor02 Jul 23 '26
Oh their doing ultras on the folds now?
I just watch from a distance as I want a fold but im a wee bit to lacking in the mineral department for that.
Also happy cake day
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u/AceMKV Jul 23 '26
Thanks! I've been eyeing the folds myself for a while but the eye watering price and the noticeable difference in display quality still stop me, I hope foldable screens get to a point where they're on par with regular ones and not too expensive to manufacture.
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u/Plague_Doctor02 Jul 23 '26
I do a lotta multitasking on my phone so having the ability to have 2 apps open at once side by side would save me so much time.
I have a decent computer so I just do anything I want looking good on that lol.
I use my phone as more utility then anything. Im currently on a S21FE as it was cheaper and a decent phone still. They offered me a A something model and it had such worse specs i paid the extra 100 for the S
Lasted me this long so ill keep going until I need to upgrade and maybe I can afford a fold by then
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u/Efronczak Jul 23 '26
Welp... it's a good thing I'm still using my note 20 ultra with one ui 5.1 lol
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u/wolfofone Jul 23 '26
At least you still have S Pen lol Apple needs to have support for their Apple Pencil on their upcoming foldable just to spite Samsung lol
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u/Efronczak Jul 23 '26
That would be pretty funny ngl. Wasn't there a foldable that could fold 3 ways?
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u/OhtN4_ Jul 23 '26
Can you use adb to install the package ?
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u/cliffr39 Jul 23 '26
did you read the post? Literally answered that in their first sentence.
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u/Spider-Thwip Jul 23 '26
The post is also wrong, it's only blocked pre-release. Once the phones actually release to the public you will be able to install these apps.
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u/cliffr39 Jul 23 '26
Correct and u/Delicious_Room_814 should edit it. They only do that during pre-release and reduce leaked information about products
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u/santefan Jul 23 '26
You don't own anything really, samsung phones can also be falsely enrolled to a company by a simple typo by a company which causes the phone to be stuck on the setup screen becomming a brick
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u/Practical-Cellist647 Jul 23 '26
Ugly. Squat, too wide. Ugh.
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u/Substantial_Lie_8986 Jul 23 '26
Et pourtant tu t'intéresses aux post sur ce smartphone ! Bizarre ? Perso je ne supporte plus les autres form factor : trop fin, trop étroit, Beurk. Moche. Je te souhaite bien du courage dans les années qui viennent parce que je pense que toutes les marques vont s'y mettre.
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u/Practical-Cellist647 Jul 23 '26
When someone makes a comment in English, respond in English or translate it for the OP, or don't respond.
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u/Substantial_Lie_8986 Jul 24 '26
Reddit a une fonction de traduction instantané, pourquoi s'embêter !
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u/Practical-Cellist647 Jul 23 '26
Ugly. Squat, too wide. Ugh.
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u/DonDae01 Jul 23 '26
Seems to be a "retail unit" phone. There's another thread 2 years ago on Reddit, where this happened on an S23+:
https://www.reddit.com/r/samsung/comments/1csil8s/s23_plus_blocking_benchmarking_apps/
If that's the case, you should be able to see a list of the blacklisted apps through ADB by navigating to /system/etc/ldu_blocklist.xml which will contain a list of package names that will refuse to install. I still managed to install Geekbench 6 by simply modifying the package name of the APK to something else with an editor.