Samsung is shutting down two apps it used to brag about

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Andy Walker / Android Authority

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TL;DR

  • Samsung is quietly pulling the trigger on two AR apps it previously hyped a lot.
  • These are AR Doodle and Quick Measure, both of which will be sunset on December 31, 2026.
  • Samsung says that future versions of One UI will not support the apps, so there’s no point holding on to them.

Years before AI became a ubiquitous, and universally overused, marketing term, augmented reality, or AR, enjoyed a similar spree — as did other buzzwords such as metaverse and blockchain. But since the beginning of AI’s unrivaled reign, such buzzwords aren’t quite as prevalent, even though they continue to co-exist as complementary to AI. As a result, companies seem to be cutting back on their emphasis on them. Samsung’s recent steps appear to be in order, as it looks to reduce support for once-glamorized AR applications.

Two Samsung apps are now set to get the axe, and these include AR Doodle and Quick Measure. Samsung shared the update as refreshed changelogs (without actual updates) for the apps on the Galaxy App Store (via Jujun Junaedi and Tarun Vats on X). We were able to confirm the updates at our end.

AR Doodle lets you draw virtually in the air using the phone’s camera—and a stylus if the phone supports it — and the drawing stays attached to faces or objects. Quick Measure, on the other hand, lets you use the phone’s camera to tentatively measure physical dimensions of objects like big boxes or walls.

According to the announcement, both apps will be sunset as of December 31, 2026, and users will not be able to download them after that date. However, they’re already unsupported on certain devices we checked, including the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Alongside the discontinuation, AR Doodle and Quick Measure will stop receiving support in future versions of the OS, presumably starting with stable One UI 9 (which may also explain why they aren’t visible on the Fold 8).

Despite that, the apps will likely remain available on devices that have them installed. So if you are among the rare few who cherish them, we recommend downloading them before the end of the year and using them until your phone stops supporting them.

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