Samsung Reinstates Local Search On International Galaxy S III

An update to the international Galaxy S III removed the local search ability from the handset not too long ago, prompting the ire of users across Europe. Samsung quickly admitted its mistake, telling TechRadar that it planned to reimplement the feature in a future update. Android Central now reports that an OTA update is currently being rolled out that restores the functionality to the handset.

The OTA update is only small at 5MB, but restores the local search functionality as promised by Samsung. The update also mentions other "stability improvements," a vague changelog that we've seen in past updates as well. The phone now carries a new software version, XXBLG8, the baseband has seen an update to XXLG8, and a new Linux kernel that was built just yesterday is also along for the ride.

The local search feature has been the subject of some controversy in the United States. Apple claims that Samsung is falling foul of one of its search patents. Not wanting to land in any more legal hot water, Samsung has been removing the feature from the US versions of the Galaxy S III. The removal of the functionality on the international model indicates a simple mistake on Samsung's part, although we'll have to wait and see if it sticks around considering the number of legal battles Samsung and Apple are engaged in across Europe.