Amazon decides to pull lock screen ads from discounted Prime phones

One of the main reasons why Amazon’s Prime Exclusive phones are a great bargain over its regular counterpart is because it shows ads in the lock screen. While discounted, it doesn’t necessarily feel like your phone when you’re using it because it’s just another piece of tech in your hand with offers and ads all over it. Though, you will not have to put up with this marketing tactic much longer.

As of February 7th, Amazon will start selling its Prime-only phones without lock screen ads, and will be pushing an update this will that will wipe away current ads and promos from existing phones. Amazon’s app shortcuts will of course still be front and center when you unlock your phone, but you can remove them if you don’t care much for Prime Video or Kindle books.

What about if you paid for the removal of ads previously? Good news for you. Amazon will be refunding those who paid previously to remove ads.

So the question is, why exactly did Amazon go this route? Well, the company explain that this decision is a reflection of technological realities. Now that many phones on the market have fingerprint readers and facial recognition, Amazon wants to make sure that those features work good. Having ads in your lock screen may cause issues with some of those features, which is one of the reasons why the company took this step. Amazon also said that your ability to personalize your screen is also another factor they took into consideration and want to give you move choices.

What about the price of the phone? Will it increase? This is the million dollar question and we do have an answer for you. Amazon is increasing the price of every Prime Exclusive phone by $20. This is still a discount over the regular price, but definitely won’t be the same sweetened deal that you’re used to. For what it’s worth, you’re still getting a variety smartphone that costs less than others on the market and provides good features.

Originally published at The Jolt Journal.