Samsung Galaxy S3 loses local Google search

Apple's ongoing patent disputes with arch-rival Samsung have been blamed for the removal of the local search function on the Galaxy S3 smartphone.

The Galaxy S3's latest over the air update stops users searching for contacts, apps and other content stored on the device using the built-in Google Search function.

The patch is described as a "stability update". It is being rolled out in the US and internationally to users of unlocked Galaxy S3 devices.

According to a report on mobile news site, Android Central, Samsung has pre-emptively axed the service ahead of its next patent dispute with Apple.

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The firm's flagship iPhone boasts similar technology.

The site also claims users are not being warned they stand to lose access to the service when they update.

"The decision to kill local search on the unlocked international model, which isn't sold in the US, is a little perplexing, not least because Apple has yet to challenge [Samsung] over local search in the EU or UK," explained the Android Central article.

Caroline Donnelly was the news and analysis editor of IT Pro. Previously, she worked as a reporter at several B2B publications, including UK channel magazine CRN, and as features writer for local weekly newspaper, The Slough and Windsor Observer. She studied Medical Biochemistry at the University of Leicester and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism at PMA Training in 2006.