The Samsung Galaxy S21 series is set to receive the One UI 6.1 update, along with the company's Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 phones. However, unlike the South Korean smartphone maker's most recent models, these three phones will only have support for two new Galaxy AI features. One of the last months, Samsung has rolled out One UI 6.1 to the recent Galaxy Z and Galaxy S series phones, with support for up to 10 AI-based features.
The company confirmed on Friday that users of the Samsung Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 will have access to two Galaxy AI features: Circle to Search and Chat Assist. The company's announcement also contains a footnote stating that it will offer Galaxy AI features “for free until the end of 2025,” the same message that was displayed on the company's website when it launched the Galaxy S24 series earlier this year.
With the One UI 6.1 update, owners of the Samsung Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy Z Fold 3, and Galaxy Z Flip 3 will be able to use the Circle to Search feature that is currently exclusive to Samsung and Google smartphones. Users can register by pressing the navigation pill to invoke an overlay that lets them draw, scribble, or highlight a part of the screen for visual search, without leaving the app they're using.
Chat assistance, another AI feature that is designed to help users compose texts in different languages by seamlessly translating incoming or outgoing messages, is also coming to all three phones. Samsung says the feature is also designed to work with third-party apps, meaning users won't have to open a translation app while messaging another user. Chat support is also designed to help users change the tone of their messages, according to the company.
Samsung's announcement that it will be updating the Galaxy S21 series, Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 with these two features confirms that the company's other Galaxy AI functionality will not be coming to these older phones. AI features that won't be part of the update include Interpreter, Live Translation, Note Assist, Transcription Assist, Navigation Assist, Generative Editing, Edit Suggestion, and AI-Generated Wallpaper.
