Discontinuation of Samsung Gear 360 Software and Services

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Background

The Samsung Gear 360 is a 360-degree camera first released in 2016, designed to capture immersive photos and videos. It relied on the Gear 360 mobile app and the ActionDirector software for editing, firmware updates, and feature management. Many features also required connectivity to Samsung servers for activation, GPS syncing, and cloud services. Over time, reliance on these digital services meant that the camera’s functionality was partly dependent on software support and server availability.

Incident

In July 2020, the discontinuation of Samsung Gear 360 software and servers was announced for the start of August, limiting device functionality without prior notice.

Company's response

Samsung stated that the Gear 360 app would no longer receive updates and that support for the ActionDirector software would end After February 28, 2024, but provided no detailed timeline for all affected features.

Lawsuit

As of now, there are no known lawsuits related to Samsung’s discontinuation of Gear 360 updates and server support.

Consumer response

People were frustrated and upset that Samsung just shut down updates and servers without warning. Many complained online about losing features, and some even tried to hack or reverse-engineer the software to get it working again