Photoshop Express adds QR code watermark on new phone, but not on old phone – same app version

Hi,

I'm experiencing a strange issue with Photoshop Express after changing my Android smartphone.

My new phone is a Samsung Galaxy A56 5G running Android 16 and One UI 8.5.

I have Photoshop Express version 18.4.40 installed on both my old and new phones.

On my old phone, I can edit and save photos without any QR code/watermark, even though I do not have a Photoshop Express Premium subscription.

On my new Samsung Galaxy A56 5G, however, every exported photo has a QR code/watermark. On the export screen I see the “Remove watermark” option with the Premium icon, and if I tap it, Photoshop Express asks me to subscribe to Premium.

I have already tried:

• uninstalling and reinstalling Photoshop Express;
• clearing the app cache and data;
• signing in with the same Adobe account used on my old phone;
• using Photoshop Express without signing into any Adobe account.

The result is always the same on the new phone: the QR code/watermark is added to exported images.

I have also checked the watermark settings. On both devices, Preferences → Watermark is set to “No watermark”.

So the current situation is:

New phone: Samsung Galaxy A56 5G
OS: Android 16 / One UI 8.5
Photoshop Express: 18.4.40
Result: QR code/watermark added when exporting

Old phone: Android smartphone
Photoshop Express: 18.4.40
Result: photos are exported without the QR code/watermark

I also have an active Lightroom Photo & Video Editor subscription, although I understand that this may be separate from a Photoshop Express Premium subscription.

What I don't understand is why the exact same version of Photoshop Express (18.4.40) can export photos without the QR code/watermark on my old phone, while on my new Samsung Galaxy A56 5G it requires a Premium subscription to remove it.

Was watermark-free exporting previously available for free and somehow retained on older installations or devices?

If so, is there any way to restore or transfer this entitlement to a new phone?

Alternatively, could this be a bug related to the new device, Android 16 / One UI 8.5, or an account/licensing issue?

I would like to understand whether this is expected behavior before purchasing an additional Photoshop Express subscription.

Thank you for your help.