{"id":626078,"date":"2026-09-16T05:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T05:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/626078\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T05:00:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T05:00:18","slug":"samsung-goes-to-couples-therapy-to-unpack-iphone-to-android-tension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/626078\/","title":{"rendered":"Samsung Goes to Couples Therapy to Unpack iPhone-to-Android Tension"},"content":{"rendered":"

Change can be challenging in a relationship, even when you know it\u2019s for the best. Samsung\u2019s new Switchers ad campaign<\/a> acknowledges that challenge, particularly when it comes to switching from iPhone to Android<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Playing on classic therapy talking points, Samsung recruited celebrity clinical psychologist Orna Guralnik to help couples overcome fear, discomfort and anxiety about exploring something new \u2014 in this case, purchasing a device outside Apple\u2019s ecosystem.<\/p>\n

Guralnik helms the documentary TV series Couples Therapy, which follows real-life couples as they attend regular therapy sessions. The show is in its fifth season on Showtime and Paramount Plus.<\/p>\n

Launched on Monday, days after Apple announced its own foldable, the iPhone Duo<\/a>, the Switchers campaign particularly plugs Samsung\u2019s new Galaxy Z foldables. It features celebrity pairs with real relationships, including Ciara Miller and Dylan Efron from The Traitors; Carl Schmidt and Aniya Harvey from Love Island; and football icons Nick Foles and Clay Matthews.<\/p>\n

What Switchers gets right<\/p>\n

Rather than demoing Samsung\u2019s latest foldable phones in a spec-heavy pitch, the six ads cleverly frame the purchase decision as an emotional one. In each 30-second commercial, the Galaxy phone<\/a> appears as the centerpiece of a common relationship issue, masked as a worry that arises when switching smartphones. By the end, the concern is resolved when Guralnik presents one of Samsung\u2019s attractive features that makes the transition, well, less painful.<\/p>\n

Samsung\u2019s ad campaign does more than just entertain \u2014 it effectively taps into a very relatable psychological attachment we often have to our phones. It\u2019s common to stick with a device because it\u2019s familiar and predictable in a rapidly changing world, much like we lean on established patterns in long-term romantic relationships. Guralnik, known for tackling such issues with deep insight and compassion on the show, lends these ads credibility.<\/p>\n

While Samsung\u2019s campaign shows off Galaxy Z and S series phones \u2014 including the Galaxy Z Fold 8<\/a>, Fold 8 Ultra<\/a> and S26 Ultra<\/a> with a privacy display \u2014 it doesn\u2019t demand or bully you into switching from iPhone to Android. It just asks that you remain curious about what\u2019s out there.<\/p>\n

Problem, meet solution<\/p>\n

The Switchers campaign uses a mix of humor, cultural commentary and sympathy. When one partner in the couple is worried about losing existing data, the solution is Samsung\u2019s Smart Switch, a data transfer feature that moves iOS contacts, photos, messages, apps and settings to Android using a simple QR code. No more fear of abandonment.<\/p>\n

The sessions also highlight a deeper operational hurdle: cross-platform messaging friction, such as incompatible emoji reactions and the limitations of green text bubbles between Android and iOS. In response, Guralnik says there\u2019s \u201cno need to shame green bubbles anymore\u201d and proposes using rich communication services, also known as RCS, which enable consistent communication across different brand ecosystems. Communication saves the day.<\/p>\n

When a partner worries about losing the freedom to easily share files and photos with other Apple users, Samsung\u2019s wireless file-sharing service Quick Share offers a remedy, because it\u2019s now compatible with AirDrop. Everyone needs validation.<\/p>\n

Making the switch<\/p>\n

Samsung says people are, in fact, making big changes \u2014 or one could say, breaking up with their time-honored smartphone. <\/p>\n

In its press release<\/a>, the company reported that 30% of Galaxy Z Flip 8<\/a> buyers switched from a competing brand. Samsung\u2019s latest foldables seem to be the draw, as the Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra accounted for 23% and 12% of buyers who switched, respectively, outperforming the Z Fold 7<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Foldable or flippable phones aren\u2019t unique to Samsung. Motorola has its 2026 Razr<\/a>, Google has its Pixel 10 Pro Fold<\/a>, and now Apple has the iPhone Duo<\/a>. Each has its own set of features, specs and prices, but their collective presence on the market demonstrates that people are willing to make a shift. Maybe it\u2019s because they also crave the flip phones of years gone by. In times of tumult, nostalgia can offer just as much comfort as familiarity.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Anna\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAnna Gragert\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSenior Editor, Health and Home\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAnna Gragert (she\/her\/hers) was previously the lifestyle editor at HelloGiggles, the deputy editor at So Yummy and the senior lifestyle editor at Hunker. Over the past 12 years, Anna has also written for the LA Times, Elle, Bust Magazine, Dazed, Apartment Therapy, Well+Good and more. At CNET, she’s a senior editor on the Healthy Home team, and her coverage includes health, wellness tech, meal kits and home and kitchen tech with a focus on the technology that aims to help us live our healthiest, happiest lives.
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tSee full bio\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Change can be challenging in a relationship, even when you know it\u2019s for the best. Samsung\u2019s new Switchers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":626079,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[61,60,202,80],"class_list":["post-626078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-mobile","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626078","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=626078"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/626078\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/626079"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=626078"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=626078"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=626078"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}