Samsung is cracking down on apps that spam your phone with ads

It’s annoying when your weather app tries to sell you crypto or your calculator app pushes random mobile games. Samsung seems to agree, and now it’s giving users a way to shut off notification spam for good.

Samsung has added a new feature to the Device Care app (version 13.8.80.7) that can automatically block apps that fill your notifications with ads, as spotted by X user @KAILASH61229293 (via SammyGuru). It’s not a typical ad blocker for your browser. Instead, this tool looks for apps that send what Samsung calls “frequent advertisement alerts.” If an app sends too many, Device Care puts it into deep sleep so it won’t bother you again unless you choose to allow it.

There are two ways to block these apps. With Basic blocking, Samsung uses its own data to find and block known ad-spamming apps on your phone. With Intelligent blocking, your phone checks notifications in real time and decides if an app is sending too many ads.

Samsung says this feature isn’t perfect and that it might not always get it right. You can check which apps have been restricted anytime by going to Settings -> Device care -> Care report -> Excessive alerts.

At the moment, this feature appears to be available only on the Galaxy S26 series. The big question is whether it will come to older devices. It’s probably linked to One UI 8.5, which is just beginning to roll out. Samsung also hasn’t said if the tool will block its own notification ads, which would be the real test.

The update is rolling out in stages through the Galaxy Store. To see if Device Care version 13.8.80.7 is available, open the Galaxy Store, tap the menu (three lines), and go to Updates. If you don’t see it yet, check back in a few days or weeks.