It seems that Samsung’s adoption of Google Discover is more limited than some might expect. We can confirm that any phone that does not ship with One UI 3.1 will not be supported with the One UI 3.1 update (which started to be implemented today for several Galaxy phones). The functionality, therefore, is still exclusive to devices like the Galaxy S21 line and the Galaxy A32 5G.
Meanwhile, Samsung Free remains the only native home screen news feed integration offered by One UI 3.1 out of the company’s latest Android flagships.
When will my Galaxy device support Google Discover?
Google Discover will also be available on all future Samsung smartphones running One UI 3.1 or later. But there are no guarantees that any older devices will soon match the Galaxy S21 range in this respect, although things could change in a few months or with the Android 12 update. For now, more smartphones with pre-installed One UI 3.1 will arrive to the market soon, including the Galaxy A52, Galaxy A72 and Galaxy F62.
Google Messaging is also not included in the One UI 3.1 update for older Galaxy devices, but it’s not like any Samsung customer has requested the Google messaging experience. For anyone who recently upgraded to a Galaxy device running version 3.1 of the Samsung custom skin, see how to enable Google Discover on the home screen.
Google Discover has a future in Samsung’s broad mobile ecosystem as a result of the company’s close relationship with Alphabet’s subsidiary. The direction in which the SmartThings platform has been expanding is another thing that attests to this increasingly collaborative partnership.
Of course, Samsung and Google are still rivals in many ways, so it remains to be seen how far this cooperation can really go. Especially due to Samsung’s eagerness to maintain a strict level of control over its Android-based operating system.