Gear VR will stop working on older Samsung devices after the Android 12 update

Gear VR will stop working on older Samsung devices after the Android 12 update

Samsung has started rolling out stable builds of One UI 4.0 based on Android 12 to its devices, starting with the Galaxy S21 series. The latest update brings a ton of new features to the table, including most of the changes Google introduced in Android 12. But a recent email from the company reveals that the update also removes one feature from older Samsung devices — Gear VR support.

Although it’s been a while since Samsung dropped Gear VR support from its devices, Gear VR headsets continue to work with older Galaxy phones. However, according to a recent email from the company (via @The_Trakx), users won’t be able to use their Gear VR headsets with their devices following the One UI 4.0 update. The email states:

“Since you’re an owner and active user of Gear VR, we wanted to inform you of some upcoming changes for the product. Android 12 for the Galaxy S10, S10+, S10e, and S10 5G will begin rolling out in December, 2021, and Gear VR will no longer be supported on devices that update to Android 12. If you wish to continue using Gear VR with the listed devices, please do not update your phone OS.”

Gear VR will stop working on older Samsung devices after the Android 12 update

If you want to continue using your Gear VR headset with one of the devices mentioned above, you shouldn’t install the One UI 4.0 update when it starts rolling out next month. Samsung notes that you won’t be able to roll back to the previous OS release after installing the update, so make sure you double-check before installing an update on your phone.

Do you still use a Gear VR headset with your Samsung Galaxy smartphone? Will you upgrade to One UI 4.0, or will you continue using Gear VR on the older software release? Let us know in the comments section below.

Thanks to Mishaal Rahman for the tip!