I did a lot of research leading up to what's described below. The intent of this comprehensive post is to help others decide whether an S24 Ultra is the right phone for them (now and in the near future as Auracast rolls out) and influence Samsung Canada to include the toggle to turn off camera shutter sounds.
Samsung Canada has been selling S24 Ultras without being aware that the toggle for turning off the camera shutter sound isn't present. That message changed after I purchased one specifically for this feature and, when working with me post-purchase, they realized it isn't present on Canadian phones.
A bit of background. I'm hearing impaired and wear BT enabled hearing aids. Presumably, the experience for ear buds will be the same as mine. I have an S23 Ultra without the toggle for camera shutter sound. When my aids are connected to the S23 Ultra and the camera is used, a signal is sent to the aids. That signal is the usual shutter sound if the system sound is not turned off, and is just a signal without sound that interrupts hearing ambient sounds or streaming sound if the phone system sound is off. I called Samsung USA and Samsung Canada (the latter twice) to confirm the Shutter Sound Toggle is present in Camera Settings before purchasing an S24 Ultra direct from Samsung Canada. I was concerned that Samsung Canada was wrong because none of the display S24 Ultras at Eastlink, Bell and Telus had the toggle, and this is an issue for S24s (and S23s) sold in other jurisdictions. I specifically brought this to the attention of Samsung Canada to ensure they looked cloaelt at the issue prior to my purchase. Samsung Canada assured me I could return the phone within 14 days if there was an issue. Unfortunately, the S24 Ultra I received did not have the toggle and sufferedfrom the same issues as my S23 Ultra. Samsung Canada tech support connected to the phone and spent over an hour trying to find a workaround, without success. A different tech support person promised to check the IMEI # and respond by email to confirm whether the toggle should be present. A week passed without an email, so I called today and tech support confirmed the toggle is not present on Canadian S24 Ultras. Samsung Sales is now processing a return request after a painful process where the guy kept trying to get me to keep the phone by reducing the price (multiple times), despite me telling him the promised feature was the sole reason for "upgrading" from my S23 Ultra.
While there are some workarounds that help, like setting up a routine to turn off system sounds when the camera app is open, I haven't found a way to stop the BT signal being sent from my S23 Ultra, and didn't find a difference with the S24 Ultra.
This is not simply an accessibility issue for hearing impaired people like me. As Auracast gets rolled out and more people are using BT ear buds while using other apps like their camera, interference with the BT signal will be a significant issue. Since Samsung supports Auracast, it's particularly surprising Samsung isn't attuned to this issue.
Online comments suggest the lack of the ability to turn off camera shutter sound in some jurisdictions is related to privacy and ensuring people know when a photo is being taken. This is silly since system sounds are easily turned off, and doesn't consider accommodation of those using BT devices to hear. I was unable to find any published reason for the lack of this feature in Canada and Samsung Support and Sales were unable to explain it.
I'm loyal to the Samsung ecosystem with multiple devices in my life, but this is an issue that will have me looking at competitors. I hope this information is useful to others who wear hearing aids and those who hope not to have to upgrade their phones to have a positive experience with Auracast. If this affects you, please ensure Samsung hears your voice!
Thank you for sharing your detailed experience, and we are very sorry to hear about the frustrating situation with your S24 Ultra and the lack of the camera shutter sound toggle in Canada. We truly appreciate your efforts while trying various methods, such as setting up a routine to turn off system sounds when the camera app is used.
Thank you again for sharing this. We will definitely consider this as a valuable feedback to make the necessary changes for future updates to accommodate users who rely on Bluetooth devices for hearing.
