Samsung News is shutting down: How to switch to Google Discover

TL;DR

Samsung News is being discontinued after nearly a decade, with notices already sent in India and South Korea and a reported shutdown date of December 21, 2026.

Galaxy users who want a news feed on their home screen can switch to Google Discover through home-screen settings or by swiping right, depending on One UI version.

Samsung also recommends removing Samsung News widgets from the home screen before the service ends.

After a long journey spanning nearly a decade and three design overhauls, Samsung's news aggregator app is shutting down. Thankfully, Galaxy phone and tablet users who want quick access to aggregated news via their home screens still have an option: Google Discover.

Galaxy device users have had to choose between Samsung News and Google Discover — or not using a news aggregator at all — for years. With Samsung discontinuing its service, that choice has become clearer.

If you want to replace Samsung News with Google Discover ahead of time, before Samsung News shuts down later this year, you have three options:

Option 1 (for Newer One UI versions): Pinch the home screen -> Swipe right -> Tap Google Discover.

Option 2: Pinch the home screen -> Swipe right -> Settings -> Turn Add media page to Home screen on -> Select Google Discover.

Option 3: Open Settings -> Home screen -> Turn Add media page to Home screen on -> Select Google Discover.

In its termination notice, Samsung even kindly recommends removing News widgets from your Home screen. If you have one, you can delete it by holding it and tapping Remove all.

Where and when is Samsung News shutting down?

So far, Samsung has sent discontinuation notices in a couple of markets, including India and South Korea. In those regions, Samsung News will be shutting down on December 21, 2026. Presumably, Samsung will pull the plug on the news aggregator globally on the same date or shortly after.

Samsung News has had an eventful journey spanning nearly a decade. It began as Bixby Home in 2017 and was transformed into Samsung Daily a couple of years later.

Then, at the end of 2020, Samsung Daily became Samsung Free. However, the third time wasn't the charm. Due to subpar performance, Samsung gave the platform another shot three years later. It became what Galaxy phone and tablet users know today as Samsung News.

Samsung hasn't said why the News platform will be shutting down, but with AI changing the web search landscape as dramatically as it has, the decision doesn't come as a complete surprise.

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Mihai Matei - Senior Editor

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First Samsung device: SGH-A800

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.

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