Samsung Electronics explained the lack of the quick camera shortcut on some units of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus. In a statement provided to SamMobile, a company’s representative said that the feature is currently missing from models intended for the Indian market due to specific local regulations. According to India’s legal framework, the so-called Emergency or SOS Mode on all mobile devices sold in the country most be accessible by triple-pressing their physical power button. Since the default Camera app on the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus is regularly accessed by double-pressing their power button, Samsung opted against including that feature in Indian variants of the devices due to the fear that consumers may triple-press the button by mistake and accidentally contact emergency services, a company spokesperson explained.
Given that state of affairs, it’s unlikely that Samsung will ever include the missing feature with a later software update, meaning all Indian owners of the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus are permanently prevented from using the Camera shortcut on their devices. The wording of the company’s statement suggests that only consumers in India are unable to use the shortcut that can usually be enabled in the “Advanced features” section of the main Settings app on the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus. Despite not having access to this convenient system shortcut, Indian users will soon be able to access the American English version of Bixby Voice, a conversational mode of Samsung’s latest artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that’s been touted as one of the main selling points of the company’s new devices.
Following months of leaks and anticipation, the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus were finally officially announced in late March before they started hitting the market last Friday. The devices are currently enjoying a rather positive response from consumers and industry watchers expect them to become huge commercial hits and potentially outsell every other Android-powered smartphone released over the course of this year. It remains to be seen whether that prediction holds true, but an update on the situation should follow shortly.