How to Disable Samsung Free on Samsung Galaxy Phones
Samsung continues to add alternatives to Google apps to Galaxy smartphones. As a result, we have many Samsung apps like Dialer, Samsung Internet, Contacts, Gallery, Samsung Notes and other apps that directly compete with built-in Google apps. Another addition to the growing list is Samsung Free aimed at replacing the default Google Discover experience on Galaxy devices. Not a fan of Samsung’s recent add-on? You can easily turn off Samsung Free on Samsung Galaxy phones.
We’ve seen Android makers replace the Google Feed UI to match the custom Android skin and push their services. Samsung is no exception here. With One UI, the company adds Samsung Free by default to the left home screen on millions of Android phones.
Before disabling it, let’s learn a bit about what Samsung Free is, what features it offers and what alternatives are there.
What is Free Samsung
Samsung Free is Samsung’s answer to the growing popularity of Google Discover. The company used Flipboard back in the days of TouchWiz, but is now reverting to its in-house solution with Samsung Free.
Samsung Free offers live TV channels, news integration, and Samsung Play for installing games right from the home screen. Swipe right from the home screen and you can access all three from a single menu.
Why should you turn off Samsung Free
There are various reasons that Samsung Free can irritate you and you can turn off the feature on the phone.
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The Live TV function is only effective in certain countries of the world. Depending on your current location, you might not find it useful.
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Samsung Free’s News section is second to Google Discover’s superior and highly efficient news algorithms.
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Samsung Play is just another push to get consumers to download partner apps and games to the phone.
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Samsung Free’s current performance leaves a lot to be desired. Charging time is more than we would prefer.
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Samsung does not appear to be using AI to present news articles. You might end up with irrelevant news suggestions.
Samsung Free seems especially useful when your region supports a fair amount of live TV channels and you are using a Samsung TV to stream content. It is perfect to start streaming from Samsung phone to Samsung TV.
Disable Samsung Free on Samsung Phones
Now that you have enough reasons to turn off Samsung Free, here are the steps to turn it off.
Step 1: Unlock your Samsung phone and go to the Samsung One UI home screen.
2nd step: Long press on the home screen and swipe right.
Step 3: You have the option to deactivate Samsung Free.
Turn it off and enjoy your One UI experience without Samsung Free.
Replace Samsung Free with Google Discover
With the One UI 3.1 update, Samsung is offering users the option to switch from Samsung Free to Google Discover.
Step 1: Unlock your Samsung phone and go to the Samsung One UI home screen.
2nd step: Long press on the home screen and swipe right.
Step 3: Select Google Discover and return to the main screen.
That’s it. You will now see the Google Discover menu instead of Samsung Free on the Samsung Galaxy phone. But there is a catch.
The option to switch from Samsung Free to Google Discover is only available on Galaxy phones launched with One UI 3.1 or later. So if your current Galaxy phone was updated from an older One UI version to One UI 3.1 software, you wouldn’t have the same option as shown in the screenshots above.
For phones running old One UI software, we have another solution for you.
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Use third-party Android launchers
The Google Play Store is filled with third-party Android launchers that offer Google Discover integration.
Some of the popular names include the Nova launcher and the Action launcher. Using them, you can get rid of Samsung Free and replace it with Google Discover menu.
We used the Nova launcher here because it is more popular than its rival.
First of all, you need to download Nova Launcher from the Play Store and install it.
Now head to APKMirror and download the Nova Google Now Companion app. It is required to activate the Google Discover menu in the Nova launcher. Go to the Settings menu of the Nova launcher and enable the Google Discover toggle in the Google Discover menu.
You are ready to enjoy Google Discover with all the Nova goodies on your Galaxy phone.
Remove Samsung Free from Samsung Phones
There is no direct way to remove or completely remove Samsung Free from Galaxy phones. You can only deactivate it or replace the current configuration with Google Discover. Whether you prefer Samsung Free or not, the fact that you can turn it off should make you feel right at home.
Then:
Unlike the original Android UI, One UI 3 on Samsung phones is a pleasure to use. Read the article below for the top fifteen One UI 3 tips and tricks.
Last updated on July 9, 2021
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