Samsung Goes to Couples Therapy to Unpack iPhone-to-Android Tension

Change can be challenging in a relationship, even when you know it’s for the best. Samsung’s new Switchers ad campaign acknowledges that challenge, particularly when it comes to switching from iPhone to Android.

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 — in this case, purchasing a device outside Apple’s ecosystem.

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.

Launched on Monday, days after Apple announced its own foldable, the iPhone Duo, the Switchers campaign particularly plugs Samsung’s 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.

What Switchers gets right

Rather than demoing Samsung’s 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 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’s attractive features that makes the transition, well, less painful.

Samsung’s ad campaign does more than just entertain — it effectively taps into a very relatable psychological attachment we often have to our phones. It’s common to stick with a device because it’s 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.

While Samsung’s campaign shows off Galaxy Z and S series phones — including the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra and S26 Ultra with a privacy display — it doesn’t demand or bully you into switching from iPhone to Android. It just asks that you remain curious about what’s out there.

Problem, meet solution

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’s 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.

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’s “no need to shame green bubbles anymore” and proposes using rich communication services, also known as RCS, which enable consistent communication across different brand ecosystems. Communication saves the day.

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

Making the switch

Samsung says people are, in fact, making big changes — or one could say, breaking up with their time-honored smartphone.

In its press release, the company reported that 30% of Galaxy Z Flip 8 buyers switched from a competing brand. Samsung’s 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.

Foldable or flippable phones aren’t unique to Samsung. Motorola has its 2026 Razr, Google has its Pixel 10 Pro Fold, and now Apple has the iPhone Duo. 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’s because they also crave the flip phones of years gone by. In times of tumult, nostalgia can offer just as much comfort as familiarity.