Samsung Free is adding podcasts to its content repertoire as part of a new update that started rolling out worldwide earlier today. By the time you're reading this, you should already be able to install the new version of the app from the Galaxy Store. And if you have recently made the jump to Android 11, chances are that Samsung Free has been automatically updating in the background ever since.
Either way, if you're running the newest Samsung Free build, you can access podcasts by swiping to the left from the home screen. Doing so will launch the app itself, with the new podcasts section being available from its bottom toolbar, aptly called “Listen”.
Can anyone figure out Samsung's mobile app strategy?
Besides all the latest and not-so-latest smartphones, this new edition of Samsung's infotainment service is also available on the company's wearables. The launch-day selection of audio shows is relatively diverse but nothing you haven't already seen elsewhere. As such, this addition is most likely to please existing Samsung Free users. Or at least it's hard to imagine that millions of newcomers will be pouring in just because Galaxy devices now offer a native podcasting solution.
Formerly known as Samsung Daily, Samsung Free has been the focal point for much of the company's content efforts in recent years. On the mobile app front, those endeavors have been a mixed bag of signals, to say the least. While it remains to be seen what Samsung does next on the content front, it's easy to see how the company might leverage its existing media partnerships to bolster its podcasting content. Especially the ones stemming from the Samsung TV Plus project which has been generating some decent traction lately.
