Samsung stops VR service XR and will delete uploaded photos and videos

Samsung will stop on September 30 with XR, a service that allows users to watch VR videos and images on their phone, among other things. Samsung mentions phasing out the Gear VR headset as one of the reasons to stop.

On the Samsung XR website, the company writes that users are already unable to upload 360-degree videos and that the purchase of paid videos has also stopped. Purchased videos can be viewed until September 30. Also, Samsung XR and VR Video applications will no longer receive updates. On June 30, that VR Video app will be removed from the Oculus Store.

Three months later, Samsung will stop the XR service altogether. All user accounts will be deleted, including all data associated with them. All uploaded videos will be gone from then on. The VR Video app can then no longer be downloaded from the Microsoft Mixed Reality store. The XR app is therefore no longer supported on Android devices and has been removed from the Galaxy Store and Google Play.

Samsung’s reason to stop is that it is reconsidering its immersive video distribution service, especially now that the Gear VR has been retired from production. The South Korean company says the XR and VR apps will continue to be available on devices, provided users download the programs for the specified dates. Users can then still use the apps’ offline features, such as sideloading content.

The Samsung XR app allowed users to record and distribute AR video, or find AR apps and games. Users could also download 360-degree images to view them in combination with, for example, the Gear VR glasses.