Samsung News App Discontinued: What Changes on 21 December 2026

Is the Samsung News app being discontinued?

Yes. Samsung News is the news-feed app, home-screen widget and media page on Galaxy phones and tablets, and Fox 9 describes it as a preinstalled app ^[5]. According to an in-app notice, Samsung will discontinue it at 00:00 UTC on 21 December 2026 ^[1][2][4]. UTC is Coordinated Universal Time, the global reference clock, so the cut-off falls at a different local hour depending on where you live.

Samsung has not announced a replacement news aggregator for Galaxy devices ^[1][2][4]. Google Discover is already available on Galaxy devices and is the option SamMobile points to, and a later section explains how to switch ^[1][6].

Does the shutdown affect every Galaxy owner?

That is not yet confirmed. The notice was posted inside the Samsung News app in India and South Korea, and the coverage found names no other market where Samsung has confirmed it ^[1]. Yahoo Tech says the confirmed notices are for India and South Korea and tells owners elsewhere to watch for similar announcements rather than assuming the same schedule ^[4]. Fox 9's report reads as if every Galaxy owner is affected ^[5]. Treat the global scope as unconfirmed and look for the notice inside your own copy of the app.

How reliable is the information?

The reports cited in this article are press coverage of Samsung's in-app notice, not a Samsung announcement page. They agree on the date and on what ends, which is why this article treats 21 December 2026 as the date.

What exactly changes on 21 December 2026?

Three things end together, according to the reports: the Samsung News app, the Samsung News home-screen widget and the dedicated media page on the leftmost home screen of Galaxy phones and tablets ^[1][2][4].

What happens to the widget?

After the shutdown the Samsung News widget stops receiving content updates ^[2][5], and Samsung advises users to remove it from the home screen ^[5][6]. A widget is a small live panel on the home screen. One that no longer updates is just dead space.

Is anything else being closed?

SamMobile reported in October 2026 that Samsung had recently announced the shutdown of its Daily+ service on TVs and smart monitors ^[1], and Android Authority also notes the Daily+ closure ^[2]. Android Authority's headline describes the Samsung News closure as another key Galaxy service being killed ^[2].

What should I do before 21 December 2026?

1. Open Samsung News and check whether your copy shows the notice.
2. Note the publishers and topics you follow, and save the links of any article you want to keep, because a data transfer is not confirmed.
3. Pick your replacement (Google Discover or another app) and set it up while the old feed still works, so you can compare the two.
4. Remove the Samsung News widget once the new source is in place.

What happens to my Samsung News data and saved articles?

The reports differ in detail. Yahoo Tech's article, syndicated from Android Central, lists personal information, account profiles and personalisation settings as deleted after the shutdown ^[4]. Fox 9 says personal data will be deleted without delay or when local laws and regulations allow ^[5], and Yahoo Tech adds that some information may be kept temporarily where local law requires it ^[4]. In plain terms, deletion is the stated plan, but the timing can differ by country.

Can I move my preferences and bookmarks to Google Discover?

Do not assume so. TechJuice says Samsung has not confirmed any data migration path, and that bookmarked articles and subscription preferences may not carry over to Google products ^[7]. Treat the switch as starting a new feed from scratch.

How do I keep what matters?

Before 21 December 2026, write down the topics and publishers you follow and copy the link of any saved article you want to read later. This is general guidance, not legal advice. For specifics on what Samsung holds and for how long, read the Samsung privacy notice for your country.

Why is Samsung shutting down Samsung News?

The coverage reviewed for this article contains no reason from Samsung, so any explanation is interpretation. What is documented is a long history of renaming and relaunching the same kind of product.

What was Samsung News before?

Samsung's in-house feed has been renamed several times: Bixby Home in 2017, Samsung Daily on 30 October 2019, Samsung Free in late 2020 and Samsung News on 18 April 2023 ^[1]. Android Central reported that Samsung News launched in beta in the US on select Galaxy phones, replacing Samsung Free, which had debuted with One UI 3 on Android 11, and it described the app as previously Bixby Home and Samsung Daily ^[8]. Android Central covered the launch as a Google Discover alternative for Galaxy devices ^[8].

What do commentators say?

These are opinions, not Samsung statements. Android Authority frames the shutdown as Samsung stepping away from standalone content curation and says the move likely makes Google Discover the default feed ^[2]. Men's Journal reads it as a sign that Samsung no longer wants its own news aggregator ^[9]. Both readings are plausible, and neither is confirmed by Samsung.

How do I switch from Samsung News to Google Discover?

Google Discover is a personalised, mobile-first feed of news, evergreen content and video, based on a user's interests and search history. It launched in 2018 as a replacement for Google Feed ^[10]. It is already available on Galaxy devices, and SamMobile presents it as the option for Samsung News users ^[1][6].

What are the steps?

SamMobile describes three routes, and says the first applies to newer One UI versions ^[6]. One UI is Samsung's software layer on top of Android.

1. Pinch the home screen, swipe right and tap Google Discover.
2. Pinch the home screen, swipe right, open Settings, turn on Add media page to Home screen and select Google Discover.
3. Open Settings, then Home screen, turn on Add media page to Home screen and select Google Discover.

If your menu names differ, search your phone's settings for the media page option rather than guessing.

What are the drawbacks of Discover?

Digital News Report 2026 describes Discover as a passive 'drive-by' experience, unlike dedicated aggregators such as NewsBreak, and says it accounts for a large and growing share of news-aggregator usage in many markets ^[10]. Because Discover works from your interests and search history ^[10], expect different content from Samsung News. Samsung has not confirmed a data migration path, so do not expect old settings to carry over ^[7].

What does this look like in practice?

This is an illustration, not a documented case. Someone who used the Samsung News widget to follow two local publishers and one technology topic would have to signal those interests to Discover again, and the feed would adapt over time. A direct publisher app would keep those two publishers in one place regardless of search history.

What are the best alternatives to Samsung News?

No source reviewed ranks news apps, and the lists that exist rarely state their criteria. This section therefore groups options by type and gives checks you can run yourself, instead of naming a single best app.

Which options do the sources name?

• Built-in feeds: Google Discover, and Google News, which TechJuice calls the recommended alternatives ^[7].
• Dedicated aggregators: TechJuice names Flipboard, Inshorts and SmartNews ^[7], and an Android Authority roundup lists Flipboard, NewsBreak and Microsoft News ^[11].
• Publisher apps: the same roundup lists AP News ^[11].
• Readers and saving tools: the roundup lists Feedly and Pocket ^[11].

The roundup is an editorial list with no published testing criteria ^[11], and TechJuice's names are the outlet's suggestions, not Samsung's ^[7].

How do I choose?

Check each app against its own documentation before relying on it:

• Source transparency: does it show clearly which publisher wrote each story?
• Ads: how many are there, and are they labelled?
• Notifications: can you limit or switch them off?
• Privacy: what data does the app collect, according to its privacy notice?
• Offline use: can you save stories for later?
• Region availability: is the app offered in your country?

Does the type of app matter?

Digital News Report 2026 contrasts the passive 'drive-by' feel of Discover with dedicated aggregators ^[10]. If you want to pick your own sources, a dedicated aggregator or a reader is the closer fit. If you want little setup, Discover is already on the phone.

Where do people get their news on phones now?

The Samsung News closure arrives while phone news habits keep shifting. Two dated surveys show the picture.

What does the global data say?

Digital News Report 2026, the Reuters Institute's 15th edition covering 48 markets, found that social media and video networks (54% of respondents) overtook news organisations' own websites and apps (51%) as the most widely used way of accessing online news ^[10]. Use of AI chatbots for news is 10%, up from 7% a year earlier, and 16% among under-35s ^[10].

And in the US?

Pew Research Center's News Platform Fact Sheet, based on a survey of 5,166 US adults on 24–30 August 2026, finds that 88% at least sometimes get news from digital devices and 59% do so often, up from 56% in 2025 ^[12]. Of US adults, 66% get news at least sometimes from news websites or apps, 59% from social media, 70% from search and 15% from AI chatbots ^[12]. Asked which they prefer, 21% choose news websites or apps, 19% social media, 12% search and 1% AI chatbots ^[12].

How should I read these numbers?

Use is not preference. Search is the most used US route at 70%, yet only 12% name it as preferred, while news websites and apps are used by 66% and preferred by 21% ^[12]. The surveys also differ in countries, wording and dates, so the Reuters and Pew figures should not be compared point for point. The pattern both show is that most readers already mix several routes to news.

Should I trust a news feed or AI chatbot to pick my news?

A feed saves effort, but it also decides what you see. Here are both sides.

What are the benefits?

• Convenience: Discover is a mobile-first feed that gathers news, evergreen content and video in one place ^[10].
• Reach: Digital News Report 2026 says Discover accounts for a large and growing share of news-aggregator usage in many markets ^[10].
• Choice: when one feed closes, as Samsung News will, others exist.

What are the drawbacks?

• Opacity: a personalised feed is built from interests and search history ^[10], so two people see different things and the selection is hard to audit.
• Volatility for publishers: Chartbeat data cited by the Reuters Institute show Google organic search traffic to over 2,500 news sites fell 33% globally, and 38% in the US, between November 2024 and November 2025 ^[10]. The Reuters Institute also quotes Press Gazette from March 2026, in which the chief executive of UK publisher Reach told investors that Discover traffic was down 46% in the second half of the year ^[10]. Swings like these can change which stories reach a feed.
• AI chatbots: 15% of US adults at least sometimes get news from them, but only 1% prefer them ^[12]. The sources here measure use, not accuracy, so this article makes no claim about the quality of chatbot news answers.

What is a sensible balance?

Keep at least one direct source, such as a publisher app or an RSS reader, and treat a feed as a way to discover stories rather than the only door to them.

Is anything different outside the US, such as in Iran?

The only regional facts sourced for this story are the notices confirmed in India and South Korea ^[1][4]. Men's Journal says the notice appeared in certain markets and that users in India and South Korea received it ^[9]. Fox 9's report reads as if the closure applies to all Galaxy owners ^[5]. TechJuice says the date varies by region and mentions Samsung Free notices in Hong Kong, the UAE and Australia, but those concern a different service, so they are not evidence of where Samsung News is closing ^[7].

What about readers in Iran?

The research behind this article found no sourced information on how the shutdown applies in Iran, or on whether Google Discover, Google News or particular alternative apps load or install there. Pouyam therefore makes no claim about filtering, Google service availability or Galaxy Store access.

A cautious approach: check whether your own app shows the notice, confirm that your chosen replacement installs and loads on your device and connection before 21 December 2026, and keep a list of the direct addresses of the news sites you rely on so you do not depend on a single feed.

What is still uncertain, and what comes next?

Several points remain open as of 3 November 2026.

• Scope: which regions beyond India and South Korea are affected ^[1][4].
• Replacement: whether Samsung will name one. Samsung itself is not documented recommending Discover. Android Authority says the move likely makes Discover the default, and SamMobile treats it as the available option ^[2][6].
• Data: whether settings or bookmarks can be exported. TechJuice says Samsung has not confirmed any data migration path ^[7].
• The date: SamMobile, Android Authority and Yahoo Tech give 21 December 2026 ^[1][2][4], while Fox 9 says 'Dec. 21' without a year or a UTC time ^[5]. This article uses 21 December 2026 at 00:00 UTC.

What is likely next?

On the sources available, Google Discover becoming the default feed on Galaxy phones is the likeliest outcome ^[2], but that is a forecast, not a Samsung statement. Signs to watch are a Samsung support page, a named replacement, and what the leftmost home screen shows after 21 December 2026. Readers should re-check these points after that date.