Rahul SomvanshiSamsung is ending its built-in news service on Galaxy phones and tablets in December. The Samsung News app, its leftmost home screen panel, and any widgets you have set up will go dark on December 21, 2026, at 00:00 UTC — and Samsung will permanently delete your saved profile and personalization data afterward.
Samsung confirmed the shutdown through an in-app service termination notice that began appearing on Galaxy devices in India and South Korea in October 2026. The December 21 cutoff applies to Samsung News — also known by its earlier names Samsung Free and Samsung Daily — the associated leftmost home screen panel, and all widgets that pull from the service.
After the shutdown date, Samsung will permanently wipe user profiles, reading preferences, and personalization data. Samsung launched Samsung Daily before 2020 as a home screen content layer. In 2020, it rebranded to Samsung Free, and in April 2023 it rebranded again to Samsung News as part of a broader content distribution push to compete with Google Discover.
If you use the Samsung News widget for headlines, sports scores, or stock tickers, that feed will stop updating on December 21, 2026. Samsung will permanently delete your saved profile afterward. While the shutdown notice has appeared first in India and South Korea, US and UK Galaxy owners should check the app now for an in-app banner and switch their left-swipe panel to Google Discover before the cutoff.
Samsung launched Samsung Daily to compete with Google Discover, which fills the leftmost home screen panel on standard Android devices. It rebranded from Samsung Daily to Samsung Free in 2020, then to Samsung News in April 2023. After more than six years and two rebrands, Samsung is stepping back from that competition without naming a replacement. The default left-panel option on most Galaxy devices after December 21 will be Google Discover — returning home screen news distribution to Google after a sustained effort to displace it.
Samsung rebranded Samsung Daily to Samsung Free in 2020, then to Samsung News in April 2023, in a push to establish its own content layer on Galaxy devices. It is ending that effort without naming a successor and handing the default home screen slot back to the competitor it spent years trying to replace.
When is Samsung News shutting down on Galaxy phones?
Samsung News is shutting down on December 21, 2026, at 00:00 UTC. After that date, the app, home screen feed, and all widgets will stop working. Samsung will permanently delete all user profiles and personalization data.
Samsung has not announced a replacement service. Check the Samsung News app for an in-app shutdown banner and update your left panel settings before December 21, 2026.
