Samsung is going to be announcing the Galaxy S21 soon, and along with that, its latest One UI 3.1 system software. One UI 3.1 will be a slight iteration to what is currently rolling out to the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 series right now. Changes are set to include new camera features like Director's View, new display features like Eye Comfort Shield, and the arrival of the Google Discover feed on One UI Home.
In the recently leaked video of the Galaxy S21+, a keen eyed Twitter user noticed that the Google Discover feed appeared available on the stock home screen. Since the model shown in that video is a T-Mobile unit, we wanted to confirm that this wasn't something that might be a T-Mobile-exclusive, but instead a change baked-in to One UI 3.1 itself.
Through our sources, we were able to confirm that Google Discover will be an option available to all S21 units around the world. Beyond that, users will have the choice to use Samsung Free/Samsung Daily instead of Google Discover. Of course, there will still be the option to disable the side panel altogether.
Samsung Free is being used to replace Samsung Daily (formally known as Bixby Home) for the One UI 3 release in some regions and with its own set of content for users to enjoy. There are options for free TV using Samsung TV+, news from Taboola News, or crappy PWA games. Honestly, this is worse than the already bad Bixby Home, which was full of ads and meaningless information about already-installed apps.
As a Samsung user myself, I cannot be happier that Samsung is finally giving us a usable option here: Google Discover is one of the better feeds of this style around — and it's certainly superior to Samsung's alternatives. We'll hear more about One UI 3.1 when the Galaxy S21 is announced next month.