Samsung gives iPhone users a taste of the "other side" with iTest web app

Samsung and Apple are the undoubted kings of the Smartphone world, and each company’s users are typically entrenched in their respective camps. But iPhone users wanting to “sample the other side” can try out the Samsung experience via a new web app.

The app, which Samsung calls iTest, is essentially a website that iPhone users can add to their home screen to get a feel for Samsung’s interface. The simulated UI will send text messages and phone calls from fake people giving tips about how to use a Samsung phone, has tutorials and walkthroughs for some apps (like the camera), and can even change themes. 

Since this is just a web app, there are several things that don’t work. Namely, the app cannot send phone calls or text messages (the former resulting in a voice recording explaining that the person you tried to call is too busy trying out a Samsung Galaxy S21). The camera app can’t take pictures. The settings menu can’t change any settings (the developers needed a lunch break, according to the app). Most of the apps will open into an initial splash page but lack actual functionality.

Still, it’s a fun and interactive way to advertise a phone’s interface. John Alexander with Samsung New Zealand (the team behind the web app) said that “iTest was designed to give consumers a taste of Samsung without changing phones.” The iTest app accomplishes that task to some extent. 

How many iPhone converts it will make remains to be seen. It can be argued that most people buy a Samsung Galaxy phone for the hardware and competitive pricing; the interface is typically something people ignore or simply put up with.

You can give the iTest app (via an iPhone) at https://iTest.nz.

Buy a Samsung Galaxy S21 at Amazon.