Amazon is removing ads from its Prime Exclusive Phones
The Nokia 6 will no longer have ads when purchased from Amazon's line of Prime Exclusive Phones.
Juan Garzon/CNETIf you wanted a cheaper phone from Amazon, that used to come at the cost of having ads take over your lock screen. That won't be the case anymore, as Amazon is removing them from both new phones and from phones customers have already purchased.
Amazon said Tuesday that its line of Prime Exclusive Phones, which include devices like the Moto X4 and the Nokia 6, will no longer include these advertisements, which presumably subsidized the cost of the phones. For anyone who has already purchased a phone from the line, a "February 2018 update" that will appear starting Wednesday will disable both the ads and lock screen offers.
"This change allows you to personalize your Prime Exclusive Phone's lock screen and to more easily use your phone's unlock technologies, such as facial recognition and fingerprint sensors," Amazon said on a customer support page.
Customers who already have a Prime Exclusive Phone will need to make sure they have the most recent version of the Amazon Offers app installed through the Google Play Store. That will help ensure the ads die on those phones.
Amazon said the line of Prime Exclusive Phones will continue to have cheaper pricing for Prime members and will be unlocked for use across US carriers. The company launched this line of phones in 2016, originally offering the devices at either the cheaper cost with advertisements baked in or ad-free at a higher cost.
Amazon didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
https://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-is-removing-ads-from-its-prime-exclusive-phones/