Samsung Music app updated with Android 10, Android Auto support

Samsung’s official music app for Galaxy devices has been updated today with support for the latest version of Android and Android Auto. It’s unclear why Samsung mentions Android 10 support, as Samsung Music worked on Android 10 before today’s update. It didn’t, however, work with Android Auto, but that will no longer be a concern.

Once you fire up Android Auto on your phone, you can tap the music icon at the bottom right edge of the screen and select Samsung Music to get a driving-friendly interface for controlling your music. You will see options for play/pause, switch to previous or next track, shuffle, and repeat, along with the ability to see a list of all stored songs. Naturally, all the advanced functions, like Spotify recommendations, get stripped in Android Auto mode, leaving only the bare essentials so you can focus on the road.

The latest version of Samsung Music is 16.2.20.19 and you can download it from the Galaxy Store or Google Play. We also have the APK file for the app in our APK section that you can use to sideload the app on your device if the update is not available for you on either of the app stores.

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[Update: 5G variant] Galaxy Fold gets the November security update

Samsung has released a new update for the Galaxy Fold. The update brings the November 2019 security patch to the LTE variant of the foldable device in France and should be rolling out in other countries soon. Just how soon Samsung will release the update for the 5G variant remains to be seen; the company has been quite flippant in supporting the Galaxy Fold as well as it should be given the price tag, and only time will tell if things will change.

The LTE variant of the Galaxy Fold has been treated better than the 5G variant, but Samsung continues to focus its efforts on the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10 as far as software updates are concerned. Both non-folding flagships received the November security update nearly two weeks ago. Furthermore, an update that brought Galaxy Note 10 features to the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Fold was also released much earlier for the former than it was for the latter.

In any case, the November update, which doesn’t bring any new features, is now available for the Galaxy Fold. It sports software version F900FXXS2ASK1 and it can be download over the air from the device’s Settings » Software update menu. You can also upgrade your Fold via Samsung’s Smart Switch program for Windows and Mac or by downloading the latest firmware from our firmware archive.

Update: The update is now available for the Galaxy Fold 5G. It is rolling out in Switzerland at this time as a ~200 MB download and should be coming to other markets soon.

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Breaking: Galaxy Note 9 Android 10 beta program live in Korea

Samsung is keeping to its word of launching the Galaxy Note 9 One UI 2.0 beta program this week: Note 9 owners in Korea can now sign up to test Android 10. The first beta update for the device is already available for download in the country, and users will be able to get it once they have signed up for the beta program in the Samsung Members app by clicking the One UI 2.0 beta banner.

Developing…

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Samsung hits 2-year high DRAM market share in Q3, bumps up revenue

Although overall sales in the DRAM market have declined – particularly in the first half of the year – and Samsung Electronics could lose its top spot in the semiconductor business to Intel by the end of 2019, the company still managed to increase its DRAM market share throughout Q3 2019, according to a recent report by The Korea Herald citing DRAMeXchange.

The so-called NAND flash and DRAM boom ended a few quarters ago and sales continued to drop, putting Samsung, the world’s largest DRAM manufacturer, in a difficult position. But interestingly enough, DRAMeXchange claims that overall DRAM revenues have stopped declining throughout the July-September period, and apparently, Samsung managed to increase revenue by 5%.

Samsung’s DRAM market share hits a 2-year high

Not only was Samsung able to see a bump in revenue, but the company also hit a 2-year high in DRAM market share, accounting for 46.1% of shipments, claims the report. The source attributes Samsung’s success to relatively high demand from Chinese smartphone manufacturers and server clients.

It remains to be seen if the upward DRAM sales trajectory from July-September will be maintained throughout Q4 as well, or if DRAM sales will begin to decline again. DRAMeXchange is apparently confident that major DRAM manufacturers like Samsung should continue to increase shipments in Q4. This might not be enough for the company to maintain its top spot in the semiconductor segment given Intel’s strong computer chip sales, but Samsung shouldn’t lose any ground to rivals like SK Hynix either.

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Samsung Galaxy Match helps you pick the right phone on Black Friday

Samsung Brazil has launched a dedicated webpage for Black Friday called Galaxy Match, designed to help prospective buyers determine which Galaxy smartphone model would best suit their needs.

The online interactive tool lets you answer five questions about what you expect out of your Galaxy device, and then shows a recommendation based on your criteria.

Not sure which smartphone to buy on Black Friday? Galaxy Match might help

Are you a power user or a more casual one? Do you like smaller or larger screens, and how much battery do you need throughout the day? Once you answer these questions and determine a price range, Samsung Brazil’s Galaxy Match webpage will reveal a Galaxy device that should fulfill your needs, at least in theory.

We don’t expect the interactive tool to be perfect and results might vary from one user to another, but it is a good place to start if you’re unsure about your next purchase. At the very least, it might give you a few interesting ideas, even if you don’t reside in Brazil where Galaxy Match seems to be available exclusively for the time being. It’s unclear whether Samsung will launch similar Galaxy Match webpages in other regions ahead of Black Friday, but good deals are bound to crop up either way.

Do you plan on buying a new Galaxy smartphone on Black Friday, and if you’ve already used Galaxy Match, are you satisfied with the results? Or maybe you have already taken advantage of Samsung’s earlier deals and you won’t be buying any new devices at the end of the month. Either way, feel free to let us know in the comment section below.

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Samsung could lose top spot in semiconductor business to Intel this year

It’s been a tough year for Samsung’s semiconductor business as DRAM and NAND flash sales have slowed down. A couple of months ago, analysts were predicting Samsung’s Q3 2019 operating profits to fall by 60%, and now, according to new bits of information passed along by The Korea Herald, Samsung might relinquish its number one spot to Intel by the end of the year.

Intel’s computer chip business to propel the company at the top

Citing IC Insights, the recent report states that the memory market will record a 34% decline by the end of 2019. This doesn’t affect only Samsung, but rather the entire segment. The memory business enjoyed a two-year boom but the party is coming to an end. As DRAM and NAND flash sales continue to decline, Intel is now expected to regain 1st place in the semiconductor segment thanks to its healthy computer chip business.

Intel has been the world’s largest chipmaker for 24 years before Samsung picked up the pace during the DRAM boom and dethroned the company a couple of years ago. Samsung was already building a gap and the company was said to have outsold Intel by 23% in the same year. It was quite an achievement given Intel’s reign, but it looks like the US-based chipmaker might be able to make a comeback. And while that happens, IC Insights also predicts that SK Hynix will drop to fourth place.

Samsung could still be able to fight back

Earlier this year, Samsung Electronics confirmed its ambitions to tackle the semiconductor business and keep fighting Intel. At that time, the company said it wants to invest $115 billion in logic chip development by 2030.

This could offset the declining sales of NAND flash and DRAM chips and should help Samsung Electronics remain competitive, at least in theory. 10 years is a long way to go, and indeed, time will tell whether Samsung will be able to challenge Intel once more.

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How do I find out what model my Samsung phone is?

You may never have paid much attention to Samsung phone model numbers but it doesn’t hurt to know the one for your device. Knowing the exact model number of your Samsung phone can come in handy when looking to get support for the device. It’s also useful in keeping track of the firmware updates that are sent out for your phone.

This is especially useful for those who are new to the brand. They should definitely learn how to tell which Samsung Galaxy phone they have. There are multiple ways to do this. Fortunately, the procedure is simple enough.

How do I find out what model my Samsung phone is?

You can easily find out what model number a Samsung phone is just by flipping it around. Samsung mentions it at the very bottom on the back. It’s positioned underneath where it reads “Designed & Engineered by Samsung.” In case you don’t know how to identify it, the model number will always begin with “SM-“. As you can see in this image of the Galaxy Note 10+, the model number “SM-N975F” is mentioned at the back.

What if the model number at the back isn’t legible? Maybe it scuffed off or it’s covered by a skin. In that case, just head over to the Settings app and go to About phone. You’ll find the model number mentioned there clearly. This is also where you’ll find the name of the device.

Samsung doesn’t make smartphones with removable batteries anymore. If you do need to find out the model number of one of its older devices, simply remove the battery and you’ll see a sticker that mentions the model number.

Why knowing the model number is useful

The model number of a Samsung phone is basically like a master key which unlocks everything you need to know about the device. Imagine you come across a Samsung phone you have never seen before. You don’t even know what it’s called. All you need is the model number and once you have it after following the steps above, you can get all of the information about the device.

One of the easiest ways to get information about a Samsung device is to run its model number through our devices database. We have extensive information on countless Samsung smartphones. Our database will reveal to you in an instant what that particular device is called and what specs it has.

You can also use the model number to find all available firmware for that particular device. If that’s something you need to do, just head over to our firmware database. We have just about every firmware for every Samsung device. It’s an exceptional resource, particularly for older devices that no longer receive updates. Search the database with the model number and you’ll find what you’re looking for.

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Daily Deal: 13% off Samsung Wireless Charging Dock for Galaxy/Gear smartwatches

We have brought you plenty of deals on smartwatches, but what about those cute little wireless charging cradles that you require to charge those smartwatches? As with every mobile device, you get only one charger in the box when you buy a smartwatch, and you can’t really plug them into any charger with a USB cable like you can plug in a smartphone. That means it can be handy to have an extra charger for your watch so you don’t have to carry a single charger everywhere, and if you’re looking to pick up an additional charger, there’s a 13% discount on Samsung’s wireless charging dock that should interest you.

This dock can charge any Samsung smartwatch, including the Galaxy Watch, Gear S3, Gear Sport, Galaxy Watch Active, and Galaxy Watch Active 2. It’s an official accessory and is, therefore, safe to use. Go ahead and hit the Buy Now button to get one for yourself before the deal expires.

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Samsung hopes to emulate Apple success in the services business

With stagnating hardware sales and declining profit margins, Samsung is reportedly looking at services as a growth avenue. The Korean company apparently hopes to emulate Apple’s $50bn-a-year success in the services business in the coming years. The news comes from a report in The Financial Times, which quotes an unnamed senior executive at the Samsung campus in Suwon, South Korea.

“Now we are at the stage where we are trying to package these major software investments into meaningful customer experiences,” the executive told the publication, talking about the company’s investment in software in recent years. The source didn’t provide any concrete details about the planned services but said that new technologies like IoT, AI, 5G, etc. will open up opportunities for the company to build a viable services business.

The Korean company has never reported any revenue from services so far, while Apple generated a whopping $12.5bn in revenue in the last quarter from its services business that includes Apple Music, iTunes, Apple Care, App Store, Apple Pay, and more. A good amount of Apple’s success here comes from the preferential treatment its own services enjoy on IOS. That’s a difficult model to replicate for device manufacturers like Samsung given the openness of the Android ecosystem.

Samsung has already made a few half-hearted attempts at services in the past, but none of them lasted long or made a dent in the market. Some of the analysts that FT spoke to for the report are skeptical of the company’s ability to build a robust services business. Samsung, however, believes it can take advantage of the existing 1 billion customer accounts to expand platforms like SmartThings in the next couple of years.

If you’re wondering whether any of this means a new music or a video streaming service from Samsung, the answer appears to be, thankfully, negative. The Samsung executive acknowledged the difficulty in the content business and said the company sees the likes of Spotify and Netflix as partners rather than competitors. So, even if Samsung decides to focus on services, its approach may be different from that of Apple.

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Galaxy Note 10 One UI 2.0 beta program no longer open for registrations

It was revealed a few days back that Samsung would stop taking registrations for the Galaxy S10 One UI 2.0 beta program starting this week, and the company has now stopped taking registrations for the Galaxy Note 10 beta as well. Samsung’s beta team revealed this in the Samsung Community forums in Korea, just a day after both the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy S10 received new Android 10 beta updates.

Is this a sign that the stable Android 10 release is almost ready? Well, it’s most certainly a sign that Samsung has tested the new software enough that it doesn’t need more beta participants. But just how quickly the stable update will arrive depends on whether the latest beta builds available for both the S10 and Note 10 lineups are free of problems.

Samsung could continue releasing more beta updates to those who have already joined the One UI 2.0 beta program, but there’s no way to tell unless the company makes an official announcement. All we know is that Samsung is hoping to release the stable Android 10 update to some of its devices before 2020, and considering there’s still nearly a month and a half left for the year to end, it should find that target easy to meet.

Galaxy Note 10

• Model: SM-N970F
• Dimensions: 151.0 x71.8x7.9mm
• Display: 6.3"(160.02mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9825
• Camera: 12 MP, CMOS F2.2 Telephoto & 12MP F1.5/F2.4 77° & 16MP F2.2 123° Ultra-wide

More specifications

Galaxy Note 10+

• Model: SM-N975F
• Dimensions: 162.3 x 77,2 x 7.9mm
• Display: 6.8"(172.7mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Exynos 9825
• Camera: 12 Ultra Wide: 16MP F2.2 (123°) & Wide-angle: 12MP 2PD AF F1.5/F2.4 OIS (77°) & Telephoto: 12MP F2.1 OIS (45°) & DepthVision Camera: VGA

More specifications

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Galaxy S8 to get Android 10 update after all?

Samsung’s customer care reps are doing it again and raising hopes that a Galaxy flagship may actually end up getting a third major Android OS upgrade. A disgruntled Galaxy S8 owner reached out to Samsung customer care to ask why their phone will not be getting updated to Android 10 and was told that the Android 10 update is planned for the device.

The customer rep did not provide any further info, and given the poor track record Samsung’s customer care has had over the years in matters like these, it’s hard to believe the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will get Android 10. Of course, it would be awesome if it did, but there’s a much higher chance of this being a false alarm. Providing the Galaxy S8 and S8+ with a third Android version upgrade would also open a can of worms for Samsung, as owners of other Galaxy devices would start demanding that they receive the Android 10 update as well.

Again, it would be great if Samsung finally ends its tradition of only providing its devices with two big Android updates, but we would suggest being skeptical until there’s more concrete evidence that the Galaxy S8 will get Android 10. We have reached out to Samsung on the matter and will let you know as soon as the company gets back to us.

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