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Sprint Galaxy S III ‘ Security Update’ Strips Universal Search Feature

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Sprint is pushing a Security update for the Galaxy S III which strips a popular feature from the phone just as users start to enjoy the latest Samsung smartphone.

The new “Security update” only secures Sprint and Samsung against legal action, and like many of these moves consumers come out on the bottom.

Android Central reports that this new Sprint Galaxy S III update is responsible for pulling the ability to use universal search. Universal search allows users to search the web, their apps and phone files from a single search box.

Galaxy S III

Security update removes universal search from the Galaxy S III on Sprint.

This is an incredibly useful way to find an app lost in a folder and to quickly access information, but it’s also a quick way to a lawsuit. Apple won a suit against Google for its implementation of universal search on the iPhone, accessed by swiping one screen left from the home screen to search the web, apps and contacts.

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus received a week of unwanted vacation from store shelves thanks to the universal search feature after Google lost a legal fight with Apple. Sprint and Samsung likely wanted to avoid a similar sales ban on the Galaxy S III, which is finally hitting store shelves.

Users who click-through and install the new Sprint Galaxy S III update may not even know about the universal search feature they are losing, on a phone they are still learning to use.

Carriers and manufacturers need to be straightforward with what is happening in updates, especially if the update is removing a feature.

Users who already updated and want to add universal search back to the Sprint Galaxy S III can install the Google Search apk from this post.

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