Updated

Updated · Android Authority · Jun 9

Samsung Phones Hide 5 Built-In Tools, Including a Scanner Exclusive on Galaxy S26

Updated

Updated · Android Authority · Jun 9

Samsung Phones Hide 5 Built-In Tools, Including a Scanner Exclusive on Galaxy S26

Q: Will AI tools like Audio Eraser and advanced scanning eventually come to older Galaxy phones, or just the S26?

No. Samsung is already extending some of these AI features beyond the Galaxy S26, but availability depends on the specific tool and the phone’s hardware. Audio Eraser is the clearest example. While Samsung highlighted the more advanced version on the S26 series and newer phones running One UI 8.5, reporting indicates the expanded Audio Eraser is also being pushed to older premium models through One UI 8.5, including the Galaxy S24 line, Z Fold 6, Z Flip 6, Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and S25 FE. That suggests Samsung is treating at least some Galaxy AI features as software upgrades, not permanent S26 exclusives. Advanced scanning is more mixed. Basic single-page document scanning is already widely available in the Camera app on many Galaxy phones. The newer multi-page scanner and richer editing tools debuted on the S26, but they are not expected to stay there permanently. Support is confirmed for the Galaxy S25 series, and it is expected on the S25 Edge, Z Fold 7, and Z Flip 7. For the Galaxy S24 series and some other older devices, rollout remains unconfirmed. The broader pattern is that Samsung backports many AI features when the chipset, NPU performance, camera stack, and software support allow it. But some tools remain limited to newer models, at least initially. So the safest answer is that Audio Eraser and some advanced scanning features are coming to older Galaxy phones, though not to every older model and not all at once.

Q: With Quick Share now supporting AirDrop, what is the next major barrier between Android and iOS to fall?

The next major barrier likely to fall is cross-platform switching itself: full wireless device-to-device transfer of data and eSIMs between Android and iPhone. With Quick Share now handling AirDrop-style file sharing, the bigger remaining friction is moving an entire digital life across ecosystems. The reported Apple-Google work, pushed in part by the EU’s Digital Markets Act, is aimed at letting users transfer contacts, calendars, messages, photos, documents, Wi-Fi credentials, passwords, and some third-party app data directly between iOS and Android. An eSIM transfer solution is also expected to make moving a phone number between the two systems far easier. That matters more than file sharing because it attacks ecosystem lock-in at its core. Today, switching platforms is still cumbersome and often incomplete, especially for message history, app setup, and carrier-related steps. A more complete transfer process would let consumers choose phones based more on hardware, software features, or price rather than the cost of leaving their current platform. The other major barrier still standing is iMessage. Even as interoperability improves, iMessage remains a social and technical divide, particularly in the U.S., where message history and the “blue bubble” effect still influence user behavior. But in practical terms, the next barrier most clearly on track to fall is the ease of switching, not messaging exclusivity itself.

3 articles · Updated · Android Authority · Jun 9

Five built-in Samsung phone features highlighted in the report include an Edge Panel compass and ruler, a Camera app document scanner, a Wi-Fi inspection tool, Bixby Vision identifiers, and the Quick Measure app.
The document scanner works directly in the Camera app, auto-detects pages, and saves scans as images or PDFs; multi-page scanning and editing are currently limited to the Galaxy S26.
Connectivity Labs in Intelligent Wi-Fi lets users map signal strength around a home and compare multiple networks, including 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, to improve router placement.
Bixby Vision can identify objects, detect colors, and read small text, while Quick Measure uses AR to estimate distance, area, volume, and even a person's height.