Technology Samsung is killing yet another app for millions of Galaxy users

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https://www.neowin.net/news/samsung-is-killing-yet-another-app-for-millions-of-galaxy-users/

Samsung Find will stop receiving updates on Galaxy phones and tablets running Android 10 or older, though the app will still work.​

Samsung has announced that it is killing support for Samsung Find for Galaxy devices, cutting off updates for any phones and tablets running Android 10 (One UI 2.0) or older.
If you don't know what Samsung Find is, it's basically a tracking and location-sharing app launched about two years ago to replace the old SmartThings Find tab, helping people easily locate their lost or stolen Galaxy devices, earbuds, smartwatches, and SmartTags.

One of the most powerful features of Samsung Find is its crowdsourced "offline finding" network. If you lose your Galaxy phone or SmartTag and it doesn't have an active internet connection, it will emit a secure Bluetooth signal. Any participating Samsung Galaxy device (of which there are hundreds of millions worldwide) that passes by your lost item will silently detect that signal and report its location back to you via Samsung's servers.

According to a notice published by Samsung in the Find app, you can continue to use the Samsung Find software build currently installed on your device even when active update support is gone. You just won't get access to newly released features, critical security patches, system performance optimizations, or hardware connection capabilities for future Galaxy releases. The only way around the new limitations is upgrading your Galaxy device's OS to at least Android 11.0 (One UI 3.0).
Here's a list of notable Galaxy devices that max out at Android 10:

Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+
Galaxy Note 9
Galaxy A6 and Galaxy A6+
Galaxy A7 (2018)
Galaxy A8s, A8 Star, and A9 (2018)
Galaxy J4, J4+, J6, and J6+
Galaxy J7 Duo and Galaxy J8
Galaxy M10, M10s, M20, M30, and M40
Galaxy Xcover 4s and Xcover FieldPro
Galaxy Tab S4 10.5
Galaxy Tab A 10.5 (2018) and Tab A 8.0 (2019)
Samsung has been losing some weight lately. Earlier this year, it announced that starting this month, it will be discontinuing its fan-favorite Samsung Messages app in favor of Google Messages for any Android 12 and above user in the US. The company recommends Google Messages because Google has integrated Gemini AI tools, as well as universal support for RCS stuff like high-quality media sharing (photos/videos), automated replies, typing indicators, and read receipts.

 

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What this means in practice

The end of Samsung Find updates does not necessarily mean that the currently installed version will stop working immediately. However, continued operation is not guaranteed indefinitely, particularly if Samsung changes its backend services or introduces requirements that the older app cannot support.

Users with affected devices should consider:

• Installing all remaining official Android and Samsung security updates available for the device.
• Keeping Samsung Find installed if they rely on SmartTags, Galaxy devices, or offline finding.
• Testing device-location and SmartTag features before depending on them in an emergency.
• Using Samsung’s web-based device-finding service where applicable, and enabling Google’s device-finding features as an additional recovery option.
• Avoiding unofficial firmware or modified versions of Samsung Find unless the source and security implications are fully understood.

The important distinction is that Samsung Find support is separate from the device’s general Android security-support period. Most devices limited to Android 10 are already outside regular security-update coverage, so users should avoid treating the continued functionality of the app as evidence that the phone itself remains fully secure.

Upgrading to a supported device is the most reliable long-term solution, especially for phones used for banking, authentication, or sensitive personal data.