Samsung Galaxy users who regularly check headlines through their phone’s built-in news feed are facing another change to their everyday smartphone experience. A familiar feature that has been part of Samsung’s Home-screen ecosystem in different forms for years is approaching its end, raising questions about what users will be able to access once the service disappears.
The decision marks another shift in Samsung’s approach to delivering news and personalised content on Galaxy devices. However, the transition is not quite as straightforward as simply deleting an app, particularly for users who rely on its widgets and integrated Home-screen experience.
Samsung News shutdown confirmed for December 2026
Samsung is discontinuing Samsung News, its news aggregation service available on compatible Galaxy smartphones and tablets. According to the discontinuation notice appearing within the service in markets including India and South Korea, Samsung News is scheduled to stop operating on December 21, 2026, at 00:00 UTC.
The service will continue operating in markets where the notice has appeared until the scheduled termination time. Once the shutdown takes effect, users will no longer be able to access Samsung News as their regular news-feed service.
The notice also contains an important detail concerning user information. Samsung states that profiles, personalisation information and other data associated with Samsung News will be deleted following the termination.
There is an exception for information that Samsung is legally or regulatorily required to retain. Any such information will be kept for the applicable retention period and deleted afterwards.
The change therefore involves more than the removal of a standalone application. Samsung News is connected to several parts of the Galaxy experience, meaning users who access their daily headlines through different shortcuts will also be affected.
| Official detail | Information |
| Service | Samsung News |
| Affected devices | Compatible Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets |
| Scheduled shutdown | December 21, 2026 |
| Shutdown time | 00:00 UTC |
| Notice reported in | India and South Korea, with reports from other regions |
| User information | Profiles and personalisation data scheduled for deletion, subject to legal retention requirements |
| Suggested alternative | Google Discover on supported Galaxy devices |
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Samsung News widgets and Home-screen feeds will also be affected
One of the biggest changes concerns how Samsung News is integrated into Galaxy smartphones.
The service has traditionally offered several ways to access news, including its dedicated application, a Home-screen widget and a media page that users can reach by swiping right from the Home screen.
For people who have become accustomed to checking headlines without opening a separate news application, that integration has been an important part of the experience.
Samsung community guidance confirms that the Samsung News widget will stop receiving updates on December 21, 2026. This means users who rely on the widget should not expect it to continue delivering fresh headlines after the service ends.
Samsung News has offered a combination of personalised news, breaking headlines, topic-based feeds and content from local and international sources. Its service description also highlights breaking-news notifications and the ability to personalise feeds according to selected topics, categories and sources.
These features are tied to Samsung News itself. Consequently, they will not continue through the discontinued service after its scheduled termination.
The Home-screen media page is another important part of the transition. Users who currently have Samsung News configured as the page displayed when swiping right will need to select another available option if they want to retain a dedicated feed in that location.
Google Discover is the suggested alternative, but Samsung has not announced a replacement
So, what should Galaxy users switch to?
For now, Google Discover is the alternative identified in Samsung community guidance. However, there is an important distinction: Google Discover is not a newly announced Samsung replacement or a successor service developed specifically for the shutdown.
It is an existing option that users can select on supported Galaxy devices.
Samsung community guidance recommends enabling Google Discover through the Home-screen settings for those who want another content feed after Samsung News disappears.
On compatible Galaxy phones, users can generally follow these steps:
- Open the Home-screen settings on the Galaxy device.
- Find the media page or Home-screen feed settings.
- Select Google Discover if it is available.
- Confirm the selection and return to the Home screen.
The exact menu names and availability can differ depending on the Galaxy model, One UI version and region.
Samsung’s support documentation confirms that Samsung News can be configured as the page accessed by swiping right from the Home screen. Its service information also explains that features and availability can vary according to the country, device and software version.
Importantly, Samsung has not publicly announced another Samsung-branded service that will directly replace Samsung News.
Users who prefer not to use Google Discover can also access news through individual publishers or other services of their choice.
Why is Samsung discontinuing its news service?
While the shutdown date has been provided in the discontinuation notice, Samsung has not publicly offered a detailed explanation for its decision.
This leaves an important question unanswered: why is the company ending a service that has been integrated into Galaxy devices for several years?
There may be speculation about usage levels, operating expenses or publisher licensing arrangements, but none of these explanations has been confirmed by Samsung in the information available.
Claims that Samsung News is closing because of low usage, operating costs or publisher licensing arrangements should therefore not be treated as the company’s official explanation.
For now, the confirmed development is the scheduled discontinuation itself, rather than any publicly established reason behind the decision.
Samsung News launched in 2023 as an evolution of Samsung Free
Although Samsung News has been available under its current name since 2023, its history goes back further.
Samsung officially introduced Samsung News in the United States on April 18, 2023, presenting it as an everyday news service for Galaxy users.
At launch, the company highlighted several features, including trusted news sources, personalised news feeds and morning and evening briefings. The idea was to give users a convenient way to follow important stories and keep up with current events directly through their Galaxy devices.
However, Samsung News was not an entirely new Home-screen system. It was effectively a transformation of Samsung Free, an existing content service.
Samsung explained that users who already had Samsung Free would see the application change to Samsung News following an update. Other Galaxy users could download the updated service through the Galaxy Store.
The transition also changed the type of content available.
Samsung News brought together the Read and Listen experiences previously offered through Samsung Free. The older Watch and Play functions were no longer included in the news-focused service.
The company subsequently expanded availability beyond the United States. In July 2023, Samsung announced the Canadian launch of Samsung News, again describing it as an update to Samsung Free and highlighting its personalised news feeds and morning and evening briefings.
Samsung’s support documentation later covered availability on compatible Galaxy devices in additional markets. Its UK support page, for example, describes Samsung News as the updated version of Samsung Free and explains how users can access it through the application or Home-screen media page.
From Bixby Home to Samsung News: The evolution of Samsung’s content feed
The December 2026 shutdown represents another change in a Home-screen experience that Samsung has repeatedly redesigned over the years.
Before Samsung News and Samsung Free, Galaxy users had Bixby Home, introduced in 2017 as part of Samsung’s Bixby ecosystem.
Samsung described Bixby Home as a central place for contextually relevant applications and services. It allowed users to bring useful content together on one screen and access it with a swipe.
The experience subsequently evolved into Samsung Daily before becoming Samsung Free.
Samsung Free arrived with One UI 3 and Android 11 as a broader Home-screen content hub. Unlike the more focused news service that followed, it offered a combination of news, games and streaming content through the rightward Home-screen swipe.
Samsung News then emerged from Samsung Free in 2023, narrowing the experience towards news aggregation and audio content.
The major stages of that evolution are:
| Service | Role in Samsung’s Home-screen experience |
| Bixby Home | Personalised Home-screen content experience introduced in 2017 |
| Samsung Daily | Later iteration of Samsung’s content service |
| Samsung Free | Introduced with One UI 3 and Android 11, offering news, games and streaming content |
| Samsung News | Launched on April 18, 2023, as a news-focused evolution of Samsung Free |
| December 21, 2026 | Scheduled discontinuation of Samsung News |
This progression shows how Samsung has repeatedly adjusted the content experience available through its Galaxy Home screens. The upcoming shutdown marks the latest stage in that longer transition.
Is Samsung News shutting down worldwide?
There is another detail Galaxy users should keep in mind: the exact geographical scope of the discontinuation.
The December 21, 2026, notice has been reported in India and South Korea. Users in other regions have also discussed receiving the same message through Samsung’s community platforms.
A Samsung community moderator in the UK confirmed receiving the discontinuation notice and stated that the Home-screen widget would stop receiving updates on December 21. The moderator also directed users towards Google Discover as an alternative.
However, Samsung has not replaced all its publicly accessible regional Samsung News pages with a single global announcement explaining the shutdown in every country.
For example, Samsung’s India website still has an active Samsung News product page describing the service. The Galaxy Store listing also continues to describe Samsung News as an available application.
This creates an important distinction between the shutdown notices being reported by users and a comprehensive global announcement from Samsung.
The safest conclusion is that Samsung News has been scheduled for discontinuation, with December 21, 2026, confirmed in markets where the termination notice has appeared. An identical shutdown process for every country should not be assumed without further regional or global confirmation from Samsung.
What Galaxy users should do before December 21, 2026
For existing Samsung News users, the upcoming change is a good reason to review their Home-screen settings before the service reaches its scheduled end.
Those who regularly use its personalised headlines, breaking-news notifications or widgets should consider which alternative they want to use.
Google Discover is currently the option recommended through Samsung community guidance for compatible devices. Users can also choose to access news directly through individual publishers or other news services.
It is worth remembering that the availability and appearance of these features can differ across Galaxy models, One UI versions, application versions and countries.
The scheduled deletion of Samsung News profiles and personalisation information is another detail users should be aware of, particularly if they have spent time configuring their feeds around particular topics and sources.
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Conclusion: Another chapter in Samsung’s changing Galaxy experience
Samsung News is approaching the end of its current run, bringing another change to the Home-screen content experience that Galaxy users have known through Bixby Home, Samsung Daily and Samsung Free.
With December 21, 2026, at 00:00 UTC identified as the termination time in markets where the notice has appeared, users will eventually lose access to Samsung News’ personalised feeds, notifications, widgets and associated Home-screen integration.
Samsung has not announced a dedicated Samsung-branded successor, while Google Discover remains the alternative identified by its community guidance.
The precise geographical scope still requires further clarification from Samsung. Until then, Galaxy users should pay attention to regional notices and check which alternatives are available on their devices.
For a Home-screen experience that has changed names and functions several times, this shutdown marks another significant turning point.
Source and research disclaimer: This article has been prepared following research of the sources provided, including Samsung Newsroom announcements, Samsung’s regional support and product pages, Samsung Community discussions, the Galaxy Store listing and the reported discontinuation information. It reflects the information available from these sources at the time of writing. Regional availability, shutdown timing and service features may vary by device, software version, country and applicable legal requirements. No reason for the discontinuation has been presented as officially confirmed where Samsung has not provided one.
Sources
- Samsung News launch announcement, Samsung Newsroom
- Samsung News, Samsung India
- Samsung News support information, Samsung UK
- Samsung News support information, Samsung Canada
- Samsung One UI 3 and Samsung Free announcement
- Samsung Community discussion confirming the December 21 shutdown and Google Discover alternative
- Samsung Galaxy Store listing for Samsung News
- SamMobile report on the Samsung News shutdown
Featured Image Credit: Stanley Ng / Pexels
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