Samsung has shut down the lingering rumors that it was going to start charging users for the Galaxy AI features it launched alongside the Galaxy S25 series last year. In a report from Android Police, the site says it has direct confirmation from Samsung that default features will remain free "indefinitely".
Earlier in the year there was some heavy speculation Samsung would put Galaxy AI behind a paywall after it stated Galaxy AI would be "provided for free until the end of 2025."
Android Police doesn't give any reasoning for the U-turn, but Samsung told the publication it will never charge for the features that "are on your phone by default."
This likely covers the following:
- Live Translate
- Note Assist in Samsung Notes
- Zoom Nightography
- Audio Eraser
- Browsing Assistant
- Generative Wallpapers
Samsung users are also able to access Google's Gemini features for free — and anyone upgrading to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 or Z Flip 7 will receive a six month Google AI Pro subscription for free. That gets them access to advanced features like Veo 3 Fast.
Lingering questions
The fact Samsung is making these features available for free, indefinitely, is obviously good news. But it does leave a lingering question about whether Samsung may develop better, non-default AI features down the road and charge for that.
This could be a single paywall or a tiered system similar to what Google does with its Pro and Ultra plans. The pace (and cost) of AI is not going to slow down any time soon and Samsung faces tough competition in the space from Google, Meta and Microsoft. If this does prove to be the case, time will tell whether or not Samsung has the goodwill to upsell users from free features to paid-for alternatives.
Alternatively, this could be the start of something very good for Samsung owners if the company continues to keep handing out its AI developments as freebies. Especially since it just launched a whole set of great new AI features earlier this year alongside the S25.
If you're a Samsung owner and new to Galaxy AI, then check out these tips for getting started.
