com.samsung.android.ipsgeofence Copy

"Samsung Visit In", a Samsung location-based service that, as SamMobile describes it, can send deal notifications to a Galaxy device when it enters or passes a Samsung store; the service is not available in every region. It is signed by a Samsung OEM key that also signs the Android framework, a platform-level key, and has no launcher entry and no user-facing observation in our sample. SamMobile notes that it cannot normally be removed, but that it can be disabled, or its notifications turned off, from Settings > Apps with system apps shown. On One UI 9.0, the same article says, whether the service is active in your country is shown under Settings > your Samsung account > Samsung apps and services > Samsung Visit In. The permissions recorded here include fine, coarse and background location, Samsung positioning permissions (sec.permission.SAMSUNG_POSITIONING and sec.permission.RADIO_BASED_LOCATION), Wi-Fi state and change permissions, INTERNET, the Google cloud messaging receive permission (com.google.android.c2dm.permission.RECEIVE), RECEIVE_BOOT_COMPLETED, SYSTEM_ALERT_WINDOW, READ_PHONE_STATE and READ_PRIVILEGED_PHONE_STATE, and Samsung account settings permissions. That set is consistent with a background geofencing service that raises notifications. This site aggregates permissions across observations rather than per build, so which builds request which permissions cannot be established. Version note: the package name has stayed the same while its label changed. Samsung's Knox Common Criteria application lists record it as "IpsGeofence" on the Galaxy S9 (version 4.0.00.2) and Galaxy S10+ (3.0.00.29) lists for Android 9 and on the Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G list for Android 10 (4.1.00.7), and as "Samsung Visit In" on the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G list for Android 11 (4.1.02.122). Those lists do not show exactly when the label changed. In our sample it is recorded on Samsung devices running API 28 to 37 (Android 9 to 17), at versions 4.1.02.17 to 4.1.19.02, and one observation still reports the older "IpsGeofence" label. 13 of the 59 observations recorded here are flagged as updated system apps, so on at least some devices it has been updated after the factory image. No change in its role across Android versions could be sourced. For Android Enterprise, EMM and kiosk use, no enrolment or management role is identified in the sources cited here; it is a promotional feature. On company-owned devices where in-store deal notifications and Samsung's background location use for this service are unwanted, it is a reasonable candidate to disable. SamMobile documents disabling it as an ordinary user action, and no dependency on it is identified in the sources cited here.

• Getting ads on your phone when visiting Samsung stores? You can stop them - SamMobile →
• Galaxy S9 (SM-G960F, Android 9) Common Criteria mode application list - Samsung Knox Documentation →
• Galaxy S10+ (SM-G975F, Android 9) Common Criteria mode application list - Samsung Knox Documentation →
• Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (SM-N986B, Android 10) Common Criteria mode application list - Samsung Knox Documentation →
• Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G (SM-G998B, Android 11) Common Criteria mode application list - Samsung Knox Documentation →
• Package provenance for com.samsung.android.ipsgeofence - Android System App Database →

• Signed by the device maker's own signing key (Samsung), so it is an OEM preinstall, and that single certificate is consistent across all 20 device profiles. It also signs the Android framework, so it is a platform-level key on its device(s). Inferred from the certificate appearing only on Samsung devices (508 packages, 10196 observations).
• Its largest observed manifest declares 31 permissions: 5 runtime (user-granted), 4 signature or system-level, 8 install-time and 14 vendor or uncatalogued.
• APK size ranges from 12.3 MB to 28.5 MB across the reporting device profiles, so the build differs substantially between them.
• Reported as an updated system app on 12 of 20 profiles - a newer build is installed over the one in the system image there.