Last updated: April 28th, 2026 at 15:27 UTC+02:00
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The Art Store changed more than Samsung admits.
Reading time: 3 minutes
Max Jambor / SamMobile
I’ve spent the past few days with the new-ish, long-awaited One UI Tizen update on my 2023 TV, and for the first time I’ve had proper access to the Art Store. I wish I could say my opinion is mixed, but that would be generous.
I don’t hate the Art Store itself. But I truly dislike how it’s been implemented. And based on other user complaints, I am not alone.
The statement above may sound contradictory, but it makes sense once you experience what I have. It's exactly where the frustration starts.
With the 2025 Tizen TV update, Samsung says Ambient Mode has been folded into the Art Store. In practice, that does not really track with what I am seeing.
I have spent an unreasonable amount of time trying to find anything resembling the old Ambient Mode inside the new UI. No luck.
Those moving, dynamic Ambient backgrounds are gone on my Samsung TV after the recent update. And do you remember the animated clock styles you could use as a background image? They are gone as well.
Some users might still find remnants of the old Ambient Mode under Art Store sections like “Complementary,” but that does not seem consistent across regions, devices, and calendar dates. On my setup, that Complementary category is simply not there. Plus, even if it were, it wouldn't be very easy to find in all the Art Store clutter.
The subtler issue, the way I see it, is that because Samsung claims that the Ambient Mode is now an Art Store component, Samsung has free rein to remove any Ambient Mode content at any time without notice. Which is what seems to have already happened.
For me, the Art Store ends up being one of the weakest parts of the One UI Tizen update. And it is not because the Art Store requires a membership to get any meaningful value out of it, but because it feels like it displaced Ambient Mode without actually offering a proper alternative. It certainly doesn't look like it absorbed it as Samsung claims.
Art Stream is not the answer either. It drip-feeds content to TV users without an Art Store membership. But it is all static content with no dynamic movement, and honestly, it's underwhelming for free users. One image at a time, no real control, and no manual rotation unless you are paying.
You can set custom images on your TV through SmartThings, thankfully. And when it works, that part is genuinely useful. But it still isn't an Ambient Mode substitute.
All things considered, I think that, if you liked Ambient Mode for its dynamic, moving pictures, variety, or just having something subtly alive on the screen, this update is likely going to feel like a downgrade.
That is how it feels here. Samsung may frame it as two features being unified. But from where I am sitting, it looks closer to one feature getting nuked by the other. Your experience might vary depending on region, TV model, and maybe even calendar date, but the odds of finding actual Ambient Mode content are against you.
Mihai is a blogger and column writer at SamMobile. His first Samsung phone was an A800 which took a lot of beating, and a part of him still misses the novelty of the clamshell design. In his free time, he enjoys watching shows, documentaries, and stand-up comedy; listening to music, taking walks, and occasionally playing old(er) video games.
