Samsung phones come with a built-in Movie Maker app that allows you to edit clips. However, the service will be scrapped after the roll-out of the Android P. The revelation comes from the Movie Maker, which itself is warning users that the app won’t work after the Android P update.
Also, the latest version of the app is warning users that the company will delete all the projects when the Android P arrives. So, users are advised to finish and save any unfinished videos before the app is deleted altogether. The warning, however, does suggest that the users on Oreo and Nougat would be able to use the video editing tool.
Android Police was the first to learn about Samsung’s decision after it discovered an upload note for the APK from the APK Mirror. The note read: “Samsung Movie Maker service will be terminated after Android P (or Android 9.0) update.” Since then the note has started to appear within the Movie Maker app itself. Users who are still not seeing the message, will get it once they update to the latest version of the app.
So, you can start searching for a replacement, but there is still some time before the final version of the Android P hits the Samsung phones. The stock Android P won’t be released at least until late summer, while Samsung’s version will come out only after that. So, it could take almost a year before the latest Android version reaches the users.
As of now, it is not known why the Korean firm is scrapping the Movie Maker, or if it will release another video editing tool afterward. Samsung’s decision to ditch the Movie Maker could be due to a compatibility issue, lack of popularity, or release of a new tool. Previously, the company has been accused of overloading phones with duplicate apps. So, the latest decision could possibly be a part of an attempt by the company to streamline their interface. Android already has several third-party apps that are better than Samsung’s inbuilt video editing tool.
Though the Movie Maker app comes built-in on most of the Samsung phones, it is not part of the core software package of the recently released devices – Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus. This suggests that the decision to scrap the editing tool was taken before the company’s latest flagships went into mass-production.
The Samsung Movie Maker app allows a user to perform simple tasks such as editing or trimming video clips, or applying filters, touch-up effects, and add AR Emoji to clips. The tool does not support more complex features. Though the app has been in existence for years, many might not know about it as it is well-hidden. The app shows up only after a user starts editing a video via the Gallery app. Further, opening the Video Editor and selecting Create video would also trigger the Movie Maker app.
Not only the Movie Maker, but other Android apps may also stop working after the Android P update. In the latest Android P Developer Preview, developers have found a new class that sets a minimum API version, notes a separate report from Android Police. If an app fails to meet this, then the OS would pop a warning message, saying: “This app was build for an older version of Android and may not work properly. Try checking for updates, or contact the developer.”
As of now, it is not known if the final version of the Android P will continue to give the same warning message, or will completely block the failing apps. Google has previously cleared its intent to bring all Play Store apps to follow one standard by setting a minimum API support requirement. Such a measure would ensure that all apps are up-to-date and work on the latest Android version.
In December, the search giant revealed that the Play Store apps would need an API level that is at max a year old. This means that after the roll-out of the Android P, app developers would have to target for Android 8.0 Oreo or above. Apple has already implemented such a thing by cleaning the App Store from old apps. Now, if anyone tries to run an old app from iCloud backup, the OS will either show a warning message or block it from running.
