Samsung pulls the plug on two AR utilities
Samsung has quietly confirmed that two of its augmented‑reality tools – AR Doodle and Quick Measure – will be phased out at the end of this year. The company posted updated changelogs on the Galaxy Store, indicating that the apps will stop being available for download after 31 December 2026 and will no longer receive support in forthcoming One UI releases, most likely starting with the stable One UI 9 build.
The move mirrors a broader industry trend: as artificial‑intelligence buzz eclipses earlier hype around AR, metaverse and blockchain, manufacturers are trimming the feature‑fat that once accompanied flagship devices. For Samsung, the decision appears to be a clean‑up of legacy software that no longer fits its roadmap.
What the apps actually did
| App | Core function | Typical use‑case |
|---|---|---|
| AR Doodle | Projects hand‑drawn sketches onto the live camera view, anchoring them to faces or objects. Supports the S Pen on compatible devices. | Fun social media clips, quick visual notes during video calls. |
| Quick Measure | Uses the phone’s depth‑sensing camera to estimate the size of real‑world objects – boxes, walls, furniture, etc. | Rough measurements when you don’t have a tape‑measure handy. |
Both utilities leveraged the same ARCore framework that powers Samsung’s camera‑based effects, but they never achieved the same mainstream traction as Google’s Lens or Apple’s Measure app. Nonetheless, a niche group of power users kept them installed for occasional creative or practical tasks.
How the shutdown will unfold
- Availability – After the 31 December deadline the apps will disappear from the Galaxy Store, meaning new downloads will be impossible. Existing installations will continue to run until the operating system itself removes the binaries.
- OS compatibility – Samsung has hinted that One UI 9 will drop the libraries required for these apps. Early builds of One UI 9 already hide the icons on devices such as the Galaxy Z Fold 8, confirming the incompatibility.
- Device impact – Phones that already have the apps installed (e.g., Galaxy S 23 series, Note 20 Ultra, Z Fold 4) will retain them for the remainder of the current OS cycle. However, once a device receives a major OS upgrade that includes One UI 9, the apps will cease to launch.
- Data loss – The utilities store no personal data beyond temporary cache files, so users do not need to back up anything before the cutoff.
Should UK Android buyers be concerned?
For most contract‑hunters on the UK market, the disappearance of AR Doodle and Quick Measure is unlikely to affect the decision‑making process. Neither app is a core selling point for Samsung’s flagship phones, and the devices continue to receive regular security patches and feature updates.
However, there are a few scenarios where the news matters:
- Creative content creators – Influencers who routinely use AR Doodle for quick visual jokes may need to switch to alternatives such as Snapchat’s AR Studio or TikTok’s effects.
- DIY enthusiasts – Users who rely on Quick Measure for on‑the‑fly sizing will have to adopt Google Lens’s measurement feature or third‑party apps like CamToPlan.
- Enterprise deployments – Companies that rolled out Samsung devices with custom AR workflows will need to plan a migration path before the end‑of‑year deadline.
If any of these groups form a significant part of your purchase criteria, it’s worth noting that Samsung’s flagship lineup still ships with Samsung Lens and Bixby Vision, both of which retain AI‑driven object recognition and basic measurement capabilities.
What are the alternatives?
| Feature | Samsung offering | Third‑party alternative |
|---|---|---|
| AR sketching | AR Doodle (discontinued) | Snapchat AR Studio, Lens Studio (by Snap) |
| Rough measurement | Quick Measure (discontinued) | Google Lens (built into Android 13+), CamToPlan, Measure (iOS) |
| Full‑scale AR development | ARCore SDK (still supported) | Unity AR Foundation, Vuforia |
All of the above alternatives are free on the Play Store and work on Samsung’s recent devices, so the functional gap left by the two discontinued apps is relatively small.
How to keep the apps for now
If you are among the few who still enjoy AR Doodle’s whimsical drawings or Quick Measure’s quick‑size checks, you can still download the latest versions from the Galaxy Store today. Samsung’s changelog confirms the apps are still listed, and they will continue to run on devices that have not yet upgraded to One UI 9. Keep in mind that the apps will not receive any further bug fixes or security patches.
Bottom line for UK shoppers
Samsung’s decision to retire AR Doodle and Quick Measure is a modest software housekeeping move rather than a sign of larger product instability. The two utilities have been niche, and their removal will not impact the core performance, camera quality, or software support that most UK buyers look for when comparing Samsung flagship phones against rivals such as Google Pixel or OnePlus.
If you own a Samsung device and the apps are already missing, you haven’t lost anything – simply explore the built‑in Lens and Bixby Vision features, or install a third‑party AR app from the Play Store. For those who still find value in the discontinued tools, grab them now and enjoy them while they last.
Source: Samsung’s Galaxy Store changelog updates reported by Android Authority on 7 September 2026.
