Samsung Discontinues Samsung News in South Korea, India
Galaxy owners in both regions will see Samsung News widgets and the media page stop working on December 21, 2026.
Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Consumer Electronics
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Samsung is discontinuing its Samsung News service in South Korea and India, notifying Galaxy owners in those markets. Samsung News widgets and the home-screen media page will stop working on December 21, 2026.
Why it matters
The latest versions of One UI already enable Google Discover by default, which may reduce Samsung's incentive to maintain its own news aggregator. Outlets such as SamMobile claim Samsung News is highly likely to be discontinued in other markets as well.
Samsung's notice sets a fixed shutdown date of December 21, 2026, for Samsung News widgets and the media page in South Korea and India. The source does not confirm whether the service will close in other markets, and its US status is unconfirmed.
The players
Samsung
Samsung is a South Korean electronics conglomerate and the maker of the Galaxy line of smartphones, which runs its One UI software.
The details
Samsung informed Galaxy owners in South Korea and India that Samsung News will be discontinued, with widgets and the home-screen media page ceasing to function on December 21, 2026. Users can replace the feature by pressing and holding an empty home-screen spot, swiping left, and choosing Google Discover, or turn off the news panel by switching off the Media Page toggle in settings.
Timeline
2017: Samsung News debuted as Bixby Home.
2019: The service was renamed Samsung Daily.
2021: Google Messages replaced Samsung Messages as the default texting app.
April 2026: Samsung discontinued Samsung Messages in the US.
December 21, 2026: Samsung News widgets and the media page stop working in South Korea and India.
Under the Hood
Samsung's shift follows its 2021 decision to make Google Messages the default texting app, and the latest One UI builds already enable Google Discover by default. The move continues a pattern of Samsung handing core consumer features to Google services rather than maintaining its own.
Galaxy owners in South Korea and India will need to switch to another news source, such as Google Discover, before the widgets stop working on December 21, 2026. Users who prefer to keep a home-screen news panel can set up Google Discover themselves using the press-and-hold method.
The takeaway
Galaxy owners who rely on a home-screen news feed should set up an alternative before December 21, 2026. Checking the Media Page toggle in settings now will show whether the panel is active on a given device.
What happens next
Samsung News widgets and the media page are scheduled to stop working in South Korea and India on December 21, 2026.
Further reading
For more on devices like these, see Consumer Electronics.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Engadget.
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