Recently, the company quietly updated its official support page, officially confirming that the core features of Galaxy AI will be permanently free for users of eligible devices, putting to rest market concerns about potential subscription models.

Previously, Samsung had only promised that Galaxy AI would be "free until 2025," retaining the right to charge in the future, which sparked widespread speculation. However, according to revisions to the page after January 2026 (compared through the Wayback Machine archives), Samsung has removed ambiguous wording and explicitly stated: "The core features of Galaxy AI provided by Samsung are free and will remain free indefinitely."

This policy covers all 13 core AI functions defined in the current Samsung Service Terms, including:

- Call Assist

- Writing Assist

- Photo Assist

- Interpreter

- Note Assist

- Transcript Assist

- Browsing Assist

- Photo Ambient

- Drawing Assist

- Bixby Smart Voice

- Health Assist

- Now Brief

- Audio Eraser

These features have become built-in experiences on flagship devices such as Galaxy S24 and Z Fold5, allowing users to use them long-term without additional fees. Samsung also clarified that future paid "enhanced AI features" may be introduced, while third-party AI services (such as Google's Circle to Search) are not subject to this policy, and their usage rules are determined by the respective partners.

Although this change was not accompanied by a high-profile event, it is seen as a practical response to consumer concerns. At the Galaxy Unpacked event in July 2025, the company had already stated, "There are no plans to charge for default AI experiences," and now, it has completely closed the possibility of charging for basic features from a legal text perspective.

In an era where AI services are increasingly becoming "subscription-based," Samsung's move not only strengthens the long-term value of its high-end devices but also sends a signal to the industry: core AI experiences should be considered as fundamental capabilities of smart devices, rather than ongoing subscription traps. For hundreds of millions of Galaxy users, this means their devices will retain the "smart" ability for a long time.