What you need to know
- Samsung is reportedly informing users that the Sound app will shut down on March 31, 2027.
- While early, Samsung is already encouraging users to shift their devices to SmartThings, which is where the Sound app’s features will live on next year.
- Samsung has a history of app closures in 2026: Messages, Quick Measure, and AR Doodle apps.
Samsung’s streak of app shutdowns continues this week. The company is rolling out a new alert for users regarding an app for managing its speakers.
Samsung is preparing to shut down an app it launched earlier this year, SamMobile reports: Samsung Sound. A warning has started appearing in the app stating that it will remain available “until March 31, 2027.” Samsung states this shutdown is to produce a “more convenient and unified experience.” And here’s the important part: Samsung says the Sound app’s features are moving into SmartThings.
During its brief life, the Sound app helped users control Samsung’s soundbars and other speakers. Considering the impact this shutdown will have, Samsung detailed how users can migrate over. The in-app alert is as follows: “Simply register your sound device in the SmartThings app to continue using your existing settings.”
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We’re still several months away from this happening, but it doesn’t hurt to get a head start. But this latest app closure is another dot on a string of recent shutdowns from Samsung.
Shut down history
One of the bigger shutdowns this year happened in July when Samsung Messages disappeared. July 2026 was the cutoff for the app, although it didn’t affect everyone: Samsung said that users on Android 11 or earlier won’t have to worry about it. Everyone else will be moved to Google Messages. Samsung made it relatively easy for users to switch, which we also detailed.
But fast-forward to September, when Samsung started shutting down even more apps. The company announced its plans to get rid of the Quick Measure and AR Doodle apps. While “inconvenient,” Samsung said it was committed to returning those apps “with improved services.” There’s a good chance we can see features from both appear in other places, similar to the Sound app in SmartThings.
Android Central’s Take
All of this sounds like house cleaning to me. There’s usually big moments for that in a real home. Typically, we’re always cleaning up, but there are times when the deep cleaning tools come out—spring, fall, yadda-yadda. Samsung right now is cutting off some fat. These apps probably don’t have a ton of traffic, but there are features users enjoy. Moving them or vowing to “improve” their services, is a good move. It keeps them around, but gives them new life.
