Samsung Should Shut Down the Galaxy Store
▼ Summary
– The Galaxy Store has become largely irrelevant due to excessive pop-up ads that can only be disabled for one day at a time.
– Its automatic update feature is unreliable, often failing to notify users or update apps properly.
– The store confuses apps installed from the Play Store, showing updates it cannot perform and requiring users to switch stores.
– Previously unique features like custom themes and Tizen watch apps are now obsolete due to system updates and service shutdowns.
– Samsung should transition all remaining apps to the Play Store, where many are already available, to streamline user experience.
Navigating the world of Samsung devices often leads users to the Galaxy Store, a platform that once served as a hub for exclusive apps, themes, and wearable software. Over time, however, its utility has significantly diminished, leaving many to question its ongoing purpose. For numerous Galaxy owners, the store now represents little more than a persistent source of frustration rather than a valuable resource.
The experience of opening the Galaxy Store is frequently marred by intrusive advertising. Users are typically greeted with pop-ups promoting games or in-app events, many of which are tied to aggressive monetization strategies. These advertisements can only be dismissed for a 24-hour period, ensuring they reappear the next time the store is accessed, often when a user simply wants to update a necessary system utility.
Beyond the annoyance of ads, the store struggles with its core function: managing app updates. Its automatic update feature is notoriously unreliable, frequently leaving a backlog of apps requiring manual attention. What’s more confusing is its handling of apps sourced from the Google Play Store. The Galaxy Store will often list updates for these apps but then display an error stating it cannot install them because they originated from a different marketplace. This creates a pointless loop, forcing the user to open the Play Store to complete the update, rendering the Galaxy Store’s notification entirely redundant.
The store’s relevance has been in a steady decline for years. In the past, it offered unique features like custom themes for system interfaces and a library of apps for Tizen-based smartwatches. With the advent of Android’s Material You theming engine and the ability to apply icon packs directly through tools like Good Lock, the demand for Samsung’s theme store has evaporated. The current selection feels abandoned, populated by unrated themes that often appear artificially generated. Similarly, the font store receives occasional updates, but this is a niche feature that hardly justifies maintaining an entire digital storefront. The final nail in the coffin was Samsung’s decision to discontinue app store services for its older Tizen watches, stripping the Galaxy Store of one of its last unique value propositions.
Given these shortcomings, a strong case can be made for Samsung to consolidate its offerings. The logical step is to migrate all remaining exclusive apps and services to the Google Play Store. This process is already underway, with apps like Samsung Notes, Good Lock, and various device managers now available on Google’s platform. Completing this transition would provide a unified, reliable experience for users, eliminating the need to juggle two separate app ecosystems. It would streamline updates, remove redundant advertising, and ultimately deliver a cleaner, more efficient user experience on Samsung Galaxy devices.
(Source: Android Authority)
