The Galaxy Store (Korean: 갤럭시 스토어) is an app store offering apps, games and exclusive themes and other customizations for mobile devices manufactured by Samsung Electronics.[1] The service is primarily supplied pre-installed on Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets, and Galaxy Watch wearables. It requires a Samsung account to be used.[2]
 | |
| Developer(s) | Samsung Electronics |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 14 September 2009 (as Samsung Apps) |
| Operating system | Android |
| Platform | Android Formerly: Samsung Gear (Tizen), Bada, Samsung feature phones, Windows Mobile, Omnia HD (Symbian) |
| Available in | multiple languages |
| Type | Digital distribution |
| Website | galaxystore |
History
The Galaxy Store has its origins in a mobile developer program launched in 2008, Samsung Mobile Innovator.[3] Samsung Mobile Applications, an app store powered by Handango launched at Mobile World Congress 2009 providing software for Windows Mobile, Symbian, and (from August) Java ME.[4] The services had been established in China and several European countries by the third quarter of 2009.[5]
On 14 September 2009, Samsung Apps launched initially in western Europe, providing software for the Samsung Omnia (i900) and Samsung Omnia HD (i8910) smartphones with more devices added later.[6] In 2010 it started offering apps for the Bada platform, which the Samsung Wave runs on.[7] There were 10 million app downloads by September 2010 in Europe, made up of Java, Windows Mobile and Bada apps.[8]
There was also a Samsung Apps TV for smart TVs, which had gotten 10 million downloads by October 2011. Samsung also held a developer challenge called Free the TV Challenge, which was won by WeDraw in 2010, an application that could draw on mobile and display on the TV screen.[9]
In March 2011 Samsung Apps was launched for the Galaxy line, running Android. Samsung Apps had 40,000 applications by its second anniversary in 2011.[7] The store was also offered on Samsung Gear wearables and Samsung REX feature phones.
A feature called S Suggest (app and www.ssuggest.com) was launched in 2013 that would suggest apps from the store to users.[10] This service was closed in 2014.[11]
In July 2014, with the Galaxy line mostly consolidating Samsung's mobile offerings, Samsung Apps was rebranded to Galaxy Apps.[12]
In 2018, Samsung began an annual award for the best developers, called Best of Galaxy Store Awards. At the inaugural award at the Samsung Developer Ceremony, Booking.com was awarded 'Best App' and Wrist Camera the 'Best Watch App', amongst others.[13]
In early 2019, soon after the introduction of One UI, Galaxy Apps was rebranded to Galaxy Store.[14] The store was redesigned in October 2020 with an increased focus on games.[15]
Games rewards
The Galaxy Store features reward points given to users who purchase games.[15]
Best of Galaxy Store Awards
The awards of the latest edition of 2022 were given to:[16]
- Best Theme Collection: Pengtai Interactive Advertising Co.
- Best Wallpaper Collection: Bergen
- Best Icon Pack Collection: Cogul Planet
- Best Music App: Sirius XM Streaming by Sirius XM Radio Inc.
- Best Entertainment App: Vudu by Fandango Media
- Best Podcast: SOLAR by CurtCo Media
- Game of the Year: Catalyst Black by Super Evil Megacorp
Samsung apps provided
The following is a list of apps and utilities provided by Samsung itself on the Galaxy Store. (as of September 2023)
| Software | Description |
|---|---|
| Samsung TV Plus | Free television streaming service |
| Samsung Internet | Web browser |
| Samsung Wallet | Digital wallet including Samsung Pay |
| Samsung Health | Personal health tracker |
| Samsung Members | Exclusive content and support for Galaxy |
| Samsung Music | Music player supporting MP3, WMA, AAC and FLAC formats |
| Samsung Smart Switch | Data transfer to new Galaxy device |
| Samsung Notes | Note-taking and PDF reader |
| Samsung Kids | Parental controls |
| Samsung Free | Online media and entertainment |
| Samsung Blockchain Wallet | Cryptocurrency management |
| Samsung Gallery | Image and video gallery |
| Samsung Email | Email client |
| Samsung Video Library | Browse and play video content (Discontinued from January 1, 2024)[17] |
| Samsung TTS (Text-to-speech) | Speech synthesis |
| Samsung Calendar | Calendar |
| AR Zone | Augmented reality and My Emoji |
| Samsung Level | Complementary app for Samsung Level headphones |
| Samsung Family Hub | Family reminders, shopping lists, schedule and more |
| SmartThings | Home automation |
| PENUP | Social network for drawings |
| My Files | File manager |
| Samsung Shop | Storefront for Samsung Electronics products |
| Good Lock | UI customization tool for Galaxy as well as productivity tools like Camera Assistant and One Hand Operation+ |
| Good Guardians (formerly Galaxy Labs) | Privileged utilities for Galaxy for device battery, temperature, and more |
| Sound Assistant | Advanced sound utility |
| Galaxy Wearable | Interconnects Galaxy devices with Samsung Galaxy Gear |
| Samsung Global Goals | Advertising to support donation for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals |
| Expert RAW | Image editor capable of editing raw image files |
| Galaxy Enhance-X | AI-powered tool to automatically improve photos[18] |
| Samsung Good Vibes | Two-way communication tool for the deafblind |
| Samsung PPT Controller | Push-to-talk feature for Galaxy Watch |
| Health Platform | An aggregator bringing together data from various health apps |
| Samsung Compass | Compass feature for Galaxy Watch[19] |
| Daily Board | Photo frame emulator for Galaxy tablets[20] |
| Walkie-Talkie | Walkie-talkie app for Galaxy Watch[21] |
| Perf Z | Game performance monitor[22] |
Third-parties
Some third-party apps are also available on the Galaxy Store, despite Galaxy devices running on the Google Mobile Services platform which features the Play Store. These apps include the likes of Firefox, Microsoft 365, Wikipedia, and Clip Studio Paint. Some Android games have been exclusive on the Galaxy Store, such as Fortnite for users in the US.[23]