Samsung may be getting rid of another One UI feature

Filipe Espósito for Engadget

If you've ever stumbled upon a feed of news headlines while swiping through your Galaxy phone's home screen, you've probably used Samsung News, even if you've never opened the app itself. However, this page may not be around much longer, as Galaxy owners in certain regions have received a notice that Samsung will be discontinuing Samsung News later this year. For now, only users in South Korea and India have been told that News is going away, but outlets like SamMobile claim it is "highly likely" that the service will be discontinued in other markets as well.

Along with the app, Samsung News widgets and the media page on the home screen in these regions will also stop working on December 21, 2026. Engadget reached out to Samsung to ask whether American Galaxy users should expect the same change, but we haven't heard back as of this writing. Interestingly, the decision to shut down the platform comes just a few months after Samsung announced a major update that introduced short-form videos from premium publishers like ABC News and USA Today.

Samsung has a habit of retiring its own apps

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Samsung News has undergone multiple rebrands since its launch. It debuted as Bixby Home in 2017 and became Samsung Daily in 2019. Just a year later, Samsung tried to relaunch its news hub again, this time as Samsung Free. None of these attempts ever succeeded in making the app all that popular among Galaxy users.

Samsung News launched in 2023 and may just prove to be Samsung's final attempt at a Google Discover rival before giving up for good. The latest versions of One UI already have Google Discover enabled by default anyway, so the Korean giant likely no longer sees a reason to put much effort into its own news aggregator. The news aggregator market is also facing tough times, with the increasing prominence of AI in services like Google Discover rapidly changing how people get news on their phones. 

If true, Samsung News won't be the first One UI feature Samsung has replaced with a Google equivalent. In 2021, the company made Google Messages the default texting app instead of Samsung Messages. Then, in April 2026, Samsung officially discontinued Messages in the US, directing users to switch to Google Messages instead.

What to do before Samsung News shuts down

Filipe Espósito for Engadget

If you're a Samsung News user who's already received the shutdown notice or just want to get ahead of it, you can replace Samsung News with Google Discover. Press and hold any empty spot on the home screen, then swipe left and choose Google Discover instead of Samsung News. You can also turn off this news panel entirely. Instead of choosing between Google or Samsung, tap the settings icon at the top of this screen. Turn off the Media Page toggle, and you'll no longer see it on your phone.

Samsung notes that your preferences from its News platform won't carry over to other news aggregators, not even Google Discover. If you've been using Samsung News to follow specific publications, you'll have to follow each one again in whichever news app you use going forward. You'll want to remove the widgets from your home screen too, as they'll also stop working. While some will likely miss Samsung News, it also means there'll be one fewer app bloating your Galaxy phone.