Samsung may charge users for some Galaxy AI features by the end of 2025

Samsung Galaxy AI update: Samsung expanded its Galaxy AI-supported devices portfolio by launching the Galaxy S24 FE last week. Now, just days later, the company has said that it will charge Galaxy device users for accessing its generative AI-powered features in the near future.

The company, in the footnote of the Galaxy S24 FE release, wrote that it will start charging users for using Galaxy AI-powered features by the end of 2025. "Galaxy AI features will be provided for free until the end of 2025 on supported Samsung Galaxy devices," Samsung wrote in a post in its newsroom.

“Different terms may apply for AI features provided by third parties,” the company added indicating that while it plans to charge supported Galaxy device owners for accessing Galaxy AI-powered features in the near future, the same may not be applicable for third-party apps that provide AI-based features.

Galaxy AI supported devices

For the unversed, at the moment, Samsung is offering Galaxy AI support to a limited set of devices, which includes, smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and TWS earbuds. Here are all the Samsung devices that support Galaxy AI:

Smartphones: Galaxy S24 FE, Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy S22 series, Galaxy Z Fold6, Z Flip6, Galaxy Z Fold5, Z Flip5, Galaxy Z Fold4, and the Galaxy Z Flip4. 

Tablets: Galaxy Tab S9 series and the Galaxy Tab S8 series. 

Smartwatches: Galaxy Watch Ultra and the Galaxy Watch 7.

TWS earbuds: Galaxy Buds3 Pro, Galaxy Buds3, Galaxy Buds2 Pro, Galaxy Buds2 and the Galaxy Buds FE.

What does this mean for Samsung device owners?

Once Samsung starts offering Galaxy AI as a part of subscription service, Galaxy device owners will have to pay a premium to access features such as Circle to Search, Interpreter, Live Translate, Note Assist and Photo Assist. However, it remains to be seen if Samsung will lock all of its Galaxy AI features behind a paywall or if it will offer some features to users for free in order to prompt them to switch to the subscription service. Also, it remains unclear which features it will lock behind the paywall.