New Verizon firmware update speeds up facial recognition on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+

Verizon is rolling out a new firmware update for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. While these updates keep the core OS at version 7.0, they’re a bit heftier compared to the average monthly firmware update. That’s because it bundles many of the tweaks that have been released for these handsets over the past few months. The firmware update speeds up facial recognition on the handsets. It adds a “Faster recognition” option for those who are using Face...

T-Mobile Galaxy Note 8 units may ship earlier than expected

T-Mobile starting taking pre-orders for the Galaxy Note 8 on August 24. Like all of Samsung’s carrier and retail partners, it’s supposed to release the handset on September 15. However, it appears that T-Mobile is keeping up its tradition of shipping out pre-ordered units early. Some customers who pre-ordered a Galaxy Note 8 from T-Mobile have now started receiving text messages from the carrier....

SamMobile Daily Recap: August 29, 2017 — Bixby Voice, Samsung Pay and more!

We publish a lot of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a daily recap. Here’s what we covered today. APK TouchWiz Home update fixes a frustrating bug Bixby Bixby Voice India launch delayed till next month Camera A new 360-degree...

Samsung wants you to know it appreciates your continued support

There’s no denying the fact that the Galaxy Note 7 debacle turned a number of customers to the dark side (iOS), but the majority stuck with Samsung while it rebuilt its reputation—and now it wants you to know its grateful. On Tuesday, the firm took to its YouTube channel to share a short “Thank You” video that’s filled to the brim with testimonials from Galaxy Note owners, explaining how the premium range of smartphones has changed their lives. We’d...

[Poll] Are you happy with the price of the Galaxy Note 8?

Whatever way you slice it, the Galaxy Note 8 is an expensive smartphone. In fact, it’s the priciest handset Samsung has ever released—and we’d be lying if we said that hasn’t scared off a fair few customers. However, the company is doing all it can—by offering former Galaxy Note 7 owners a discount, for example—to put the premium-priced device in the hands of more consumers. It’s impossible to tell whether its efforts are paying off at this precise...

TouchWiz Home update fixes a frustrating bug [APK]

Samsung has updated its TouchWiz Home application on the Galaxy Apps Store for the Galaxy A7 (2017), Galaxy J3 (2017), Galaxy J5 (2017), Galaxy J7 (2017), Galaxy Note FE, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ with the option to enable or disable the notification window when swiping down from the home screen. In addition, the upgrade addresses a relatively frustrating bug that resulted in the text size for labels...

Top Galaxy Note 8 features you should care about

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 8 last week. It’s the company’s first new Note phablet in two years. Naturally, Note fans were very excited to see what Samsung had in store for them. The company has now started taking pre-orders for the Galaxy Note 8 in some markets across the globe. Those who have been thinking about getting one need to make a decision. In order to make that decision easier for...

Daily Deal: Save 74% on a first-generation Gear 360

Amazon has temporarily axed the price of the first-generation Gear 360, which is Samsung’s award-winning camera that’s capable of taking 360-degree photographs and videos, down to just $92.33 (74% off). If you want to take advantage of this promotion, hit the Buy Now button below. We strongly advise you to hurry though, as Amazon only has a limited amount of inventory available — and once it’s gone, it’s gone. The post Daily Deal: Save...

Samsung partners with 20th Century Fox and Panasonic to create a metadata platform for HDR10+

Samsung has announced that it’s teamed up with 20th Century Fox and Panasonic to create a royalty-free dynamic metadata platform for High Dynamic Range (HDR) through an associated certification program called HDR10+. The entity will license the platform to content companies for a nominal administrative fee from 2018. “As leaders in entertainment, the three companies are ideal partners for bringing HDR10+ into the homes of consumers everywhere,” said...

Samsung to build an open-connected IoT ecosystem

Samsung is attempting to build an open-connected ecosystem wherein all of its household appliances can be controlled using a universal application—or Bixby. The platform is still on the drawing board, reports Business Korea, noting the firm is hoping to start development in the not-too-distant future. “Samsung Electronics’ Connected Vision has a philosophy that all innovation will be built on openness and partnership,” said Patrick Chomet, Executive...

A new 360-degree camera possibly being developed by Samsung

Samsung unveiled its new Gear 360 (2017) VR camera alongside the Galaxy S8 back in March this year. It’s capable of shooting true 4K video in 360-degrees. The camera’s predecessor could only shoot 360-degree video in “near-4K.” The Gear 360 (2017) became available for purchase just a few months ago. It’s now being offered as a pre-order incentive to Galaxy Note 8 customers. It appears that Samsung has a new 360-degree camera in the pipeline. The...

Samsung still hasn’t decided the Galaxy Note 8 price for South Korea

Samsung appears to be having a difficult time in deciding how much it’s going to charge for its new flagship smartphone in its home country of South Korea. The country’s government is pushing to cut down telecom costs and that initiative is making it difficult for Samsung to set local prices for the Galaxy Note 8. Samsung hasn’t started taking pre-orders for the handset in South Korea as yet. Pre-orders are already live in North America and some...

Galaxy J7 (2016) now receiving Android 7.0 Nougat update

Samsung has at long last started rolling out the much-anticipated Android 7.0 update for the Galaxy J7 (2016) in Russia. The upgrade transports all of the features you’d expect to find baked into Nougat, as well as the security patches included in this month’s maintenance release. For those unaware, Android 7.0 bundles a slew of neat new features, including enhanced notifications, stricter application permissions, new emoji and refined battery saving...

The next S Pen might include a microphone

Samsung wants to make the S Pen more than just a stylus that you use to jot down memos on your Galaxy Note handsets. It filed a patent application back in 2014 which detailed how a microphone and speaker can be integrated into the S Pen. This would enable users to use the S Pen to communicate in a phone call. Samsung recently filed a patent which explained how the S Pen could be used to measure the amount of alcohol in a user’s breath. Samsung’s...

Samsung Pay now supports MobiKwik in India

Samsung Pay has been updated with support for MobiKwik, following its introduction on Samsung Pay Mini earlier this year. Like PayPal, the platform allows customers to add money to a virtual wallet, which can then be used for payments both in-store and online. Here’s the full changelog: MobiKwik (Android 7.0 Nougat+) UPI: Transfer money between your bank accounts UPI: Send money directly from contacts Import...

Bixby Voice India launch delayed till next month

It has hardly been over a week since Samsung rolled out Bixby Voice across the globe. The assistant only supports Korean and English languages currently. Despite that, Samsung has now rolled it out in over 200 countries across the globe. Galaxy S8 owners in India have got the short end of the stick, though. The Bixby Voice rollout was halted in India shortly after it went live. It was later confirmed...

Samsung will announce a new wearable on Wednesday

Samsung took to Twitter on Monday to tease an event it’s hosting in Berlin on Wednesday, August 30. While we don’t know exactly what the firm is planning to showcase, it did reveal that it’s some form of wearable, leading us to believe it’s the upcoming Gear Sport (SM-R600). Rumored to be aimed at fitness fanatics, the Gear Sport is expected to ship with a host of precise health-monitoring features, including a dedicated swimming and rowing mode,...