Samsung is pulling the plug on its Samsung News app. The company officially announced the shutdown in India and South Korea, with more regions potentially to follow. The app will stop working on December 21, 2026, at 00:00 UTC.
Samsung News is shutting down in India and South Korea
The notice users in India and South Korea started receiving. | Image by SamMobile
Samsung is killing one core Galaxy feature — the built-in Samsung News app. The dedicated app offers the latest news, sports, and stock updates on Galaxy devices, such as phones and tablets, via a widget and a dedicated media page.
Thank you for using Samsung News. We would like to inform you that Samsung News will be discontinued as of December 21, 2026, 00:00 (UTC). Following the discontinuation of the service, the Samsung News widget will no longer receive content updates. We kindly recommend removing the widget from your Home screen.
- Samsung News in-app official notice, 10/26/2026
The news was delivered as a notice inside the app in India and South Korea with a rather formal, matter-of-fact message that didn't disclose the reason for the termination. Samsung also recommends that users remove the Samsung News widget from the Home screen of their devices.
More regions to follow shortly?
As of this writing, the notice has been reported only in India and South Korea. However, there's a strong chance that users in other regions will start seeing the same gloomy message soon.
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Samsung launched the dedicated Samsung News service back in 2023, replacing Samsung Free, which was, in turn, a replacement for Samsung Daily. The latter launched in 2019, replacing Bixby Home.
As you can see, Samsung has a long history of swapping news services, but this time around, it seems permanent.
One reason behind this might be the obvious redundancy of Samsung News on Android phones. Most people are used to Google Discover, and Samsung might just make it the built-in default on Galaxy phones, just like on many other Android devices. What's your preferred news source on your phone?
Which news app do you use on your smartphone?
0 Votes
Samsung will delete all Samsung News user data
Google Discover is the preferred news source on most Android phones. | Image by PhoneArena
The company will delete all user data — including personal information, profiles, and personalization settings — immediately after the shutdown.
Upon the termination of the service, all personal information collected in connection with Samsung News will be deleted without undue delay. However, certain information may be retained where required under applicable laws and regulations. Any such information will be retained only for the required period and then deleted.
- Samsung News in-app official notice, 10/26/2026
The only exceptions are regions where laws and regulations require user data to be retained or made available for download, where this data will remain stored for as long as specific laws mandate.
Are you going to miss Samsung News?
Read more about discontinued smartphone software features here:
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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