Samsung to shut down ChatOn messaging service: Report (Confirmed)
Update: Samsung has confirmed to Engadget that ChatOn will be shut down on February 1 next year in all major markets except US.
“On February 1, 2015, ChatON will be discontinued in all markets except the United States, as we strive to meet evolving consumer needs by focusing on our core services. We remain committed to offering services that cater to our consumers’ lifestyles and add value to their everyday lives,” Samsung said in a statement.
Earlier (Nov 25): Samsung’s ChatOn messaging service, which never really took off outside of select markets, could be axed in the coming months, reports The Korea Times
. According to the publication, the company is currently mulling on how to best scale down the service as it attempts to improve profitability by cutting costs.
The service won’t be immediately shut down, but the company could soon stop supporting it in select markets, where it hasn’t found many users.
“Samsung Electronics plans to exit from the mobile messaging market from region-to-region as part of corporate strategy to restructure unprofitable businesses and improve profitability,” a Samsung official told The Korea Times.
The publication notes that ChatOn will be updated once for the service users in select markets before being axed completely. The exact timing is a mystery at this point.
Originally introduced in 2011, ChatOn is currently available in 120 countries, 63 languages and on three platforms including Android. It used to come pre-installed on all Samsung devices, but of late, Samsung has stopped doing that in order to stop flooding the smartphones and tablet with bloatware.
“On February 1, 2015, ChatON will be discontinued in all markets except the United States, as we strive to meet evolving consumer needs by focusing on our core services. We remain committed to offering services that cater to our consumers’ lifestyles and add value to their everyday lives,” Samsung said in a statement.
Earlier (Nov 25): Samsung’s ChatOn messaging service, which never really took off outside of select markets, could be axed in the coming months, reports The Korea Times
The service won’t be immediately shut down, but the company could soon stop supporting it in select markets, where it hasn’t found many users.
“Samsung Electronics plans to exit from the mobile messaging market from region-to-region as part of corporate strategy to restructure unprofitable businesses and improve profitability,” a Samsung official told The Korea Times.
The publication notes that ChatOn will be updated once for the service users in select markets before being axed completely. The exact timing is a mystery at this point.
Originally introduced in 2011, ChatOn is currently available in 120 countries, 63 languages and on three platforms including Android. It used to come pre-installed on all Samsung devices, but of late, Samsung has stopped doing that in order to stop flooding the smartphones and tablet with bloatware.
