Skip to main content

Samsung drops Symbian

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Samsung—the world’s second-largest maker of mobile phones—has announced it will be dropping support for the Symbian operating system at the end of 2010. The brief note notes the company will stop certifying applications for Samsung Apps store on December 31, and urges developers to post any queries before December 10 so they can be resolved by the end of the year. After that, Samsung advises developers to look to the Symbian Foundation for support.

Samsung instead will be focusing its efforts on handsets running Android and Windows Phone 7. Samsung is one of three device manufacturers expected to have Windows Phone devices ready to go at launch later this month—HTC and LG will also be ready to go with Windows Phone devices. Samsung has recently been pushing its Galaxy line of Android smartphones and will soon be complementing that with an Android-based Galaxy tablet. Samsung, presumably, still has its own Bada mobile operating system percolating.

The move is the second defection from the Symbian camp in the last two weeks: on September 24, Sony-Ericsson announced it would be dropping Symbian to focus on Windows 7 Phone and Android devices.

Neither Sony-Ericsson nor Samsung made tremendous numbers of Symbian phones: the primary Symbian device maker remains Finland’s Nokia. Nonetheless, having high-profile device manufacturers abandoning the platform can’t be a comforting development for the Symbian Foundation.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Best Samsung deals: The Galaxy S24 Ultra is up to $870 off
Best Android Phone 2022 Galaxy S22 Ultra in hand with S Pen feat image.

Samsung has been a popular electronics brand for decades, and its experience has among the best brands for a number of different products. This is great news if you’ve been shopping TV deals, phone deals, smartwatch deals, or headphone deals and are interested exclusively in something made by Samsung. We’ve tracked down all of the best Samsung deals you can shop right now, and they include impressive selections such as Samsung TV deals (including The Frame TV deals), Samsung Galaxy Buds deals, Samsung Galaxy Watch deals, Samsung Galaxy deals, and one of the best Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra deals you’ll come across, which will save you up to $870 on the flagship phone. So if you’re interested in any new piece of tech by Samsung, read onward for all of the best Samsung deals available to shop right now.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 — $140, was $200

On the surface, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 may look like a watch with a cool digital screen. And, of course, that'd be quite nice. But it turns out to be more of a wearable health monitor, giving you access to info on your overall fitness, running capabilities, and sleep cycles. Our Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 review compliments it for its seamless pairing with Samsung devices and its compatibility with small wrists. As you're sure to be adventuring, running, and exploring with this watch, be sure to grab one of the best Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 screen protectors to preserve its longevity.

Read more
Samsung quietly revealed the Galaxy Ring’s release date
Three sizes of the Samsung Galaxy Ring, sitting on top of a white display case.

The Samsung Galaxy Ring has yet to be released. However, Samsung has already taken legal action against the maker of the top-selling Oura Ring and accidentally revealed its release date in the process.

Samsung is boldly seeking a declaratory judgment in a U.S. district court to preempt any potential patent claims against the Galaxy Ring. In its petition, Samsung asserts that the Galaxy Ring incorporates "features common to virtually all smart rings."

Read more
It’s the end of an era for Samsung smartwatches
Galaxy Watch 4 Classic (left) and the Galaxy Watch 3 (right)

For the longest time, Samsung smartwatches have run on Tizen, starting with the Samsung Gear 2 in 2014. Since then, every Samsung smartwatch up until the Galaxy Watch 4 has run on Tizen. With the Galaxy Watch 4, Samsung joined the rest of the Android smartwatch industry by adopting Wear OS. Now, after a decade of having released its first Tizen smartwatch, Samsung is getting ready to sunset Galaxy Store support for Tizen smartwatches in 2025.

According to the translated screenshot posted by Reddit user Seaweed_Maximus, the Galaxy Store will stop selling paid Tizen watch content by September 30, 2024, and will stop allowing new downloads of free Tizen watch content by May 31, 2025. Services related to the watch will stop everywhere except in the My Apps section of the Galaxy Store. On September 30, 2025, downloads of existing purchased items on the My Apps page will end.

Read more