Samsung has launched a new default news app for its devices in the UK to replace the formerly pre-installed app Upday.
Samsung News, which is currently in beta mode, is a non-paywalled news app that includes feeds customisable by topic and region with content from “hundreds” of sources.
It provides an equivalent to Apple News (which has both free and paywalled versions) on iOS devices and Google Discover, which provides a personalised content feed and can be found in the Google app on any device.
Samsung employs an unspecified number of journalists to curate the news shown in Samsung News, including via a Top Stories section for handpicked trending articles, morning and evening briefings, and “subject spotlights offering in-depth insights on specific news stories with diverse perspectives”.
In 2020 Upday claimed to be the most popular news app in Europe employing 50 journalists.
Samsung says it has “strict editorial guidelines to provide clear and unbiased content” and a team of editors who ensure standards are upheld and its portfolio of publishers is “diverse and balanced” via an editorial committee.
Samsung News editor-in-chief Andrew Bailey, formerly Upday global editor-in-chief and LBC managing editor, said: “There’s never been a greater need for accurate, verified, and balanced news that doesn’t live behind a paywall.
“Our goal with Samsung News is to offer Galaxy users a broad selection of free content from premium partners, including breaking news, deep-dives, and briefings hand-picked by our experienced news editors.”
The newsbrands signed up in the UK as cited by Samsung include: Sky News, Sky Sports, DMGT’s Daily Mail and Metro, The Standard, The Independent and Indy 100, Reach sites Mirror and OK!, Business Insider and Reuters.
Sky News Group executive chairman David Rhodes said Samsung News would allow Sky News and Sky Sports “to bring millions more Galaxy users the full story, first”.
Other publishers seen by Press Gazette on the app include GB News, Reach-owned Daily Record, DMGT-owned The i Paper, and International Business Times.
Samsung is the second most popular mobile phone brand in the UK (behind Apple) and accounts for around one in three devices sold.
A spokesperson declined to share how any revenue-share model works for Samsung News, saying it is commercially sensitive. But they said: “We do work closely with all our partners regarding use of their content.”
The app contains advertising. Asked about the commercial model, Samsung said: “Our priority is on bringing high-quality, personalised news without slant or bias to Galaxy Device Owners.”
Upday, which was developed by Axel Springer in partnership with Samsung in 2016, was previously pre-installed as the default news app on Samsung phones offering publishers traffic but no direct revenue share. It became available on other smartphones from 2021.
In December 2022 it was used by 2.91 million people in the UK, meaning it reached 5.8% of the online population and was the third biggest news app in the country behind Apple News and BBC News.
However by October 2023 its usage had fallen to 1.8 million people, putting it as the sixth biggest news app, and a year later it had an audience of one million.
Axel Springer announced in December 2023 it was ending its partnership with Samsung, although Upday continued to be available to users on existing Samsung devices for the following year. It turned Upday, which is still available in 34 European countries, instead into a “new trend news generator” which is updated with new stories bylined to “Team upday”.
Samsung News is now being rolled out as an update to the pre-installed Samsung Free app, which previously contained a mix of free TV, news, podcasts and games. It can also be downloaded directly from the Samsung Galaxy Store.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
