Samsung blames Google Discover for Galaxy S23 touchscreen issues in One UI 6.1

Damien Wilde | Apr 4 2024 - 6:58 am PT

Samsung is blaming the Google Discover feed for recent touchscreen issues that some Galaxy S23 owners have been experiencing after updating to One UI 6.1 – but offers a fairly simple solution.

Since rolling out One UI 6.1 to older devices, a small but notable volume of Galaxy S23 owners have complained on Reddit of screen unresponsiveness, lock-ups, and lag since the OTA arrived on their hardware. At first, it seemed this problem was limited to those with third-party displays installed – likely from repairs.

That said, buggy updates are not unusual and a few of those affected claim zero device modification. According to Samsung, the Google Discover feed could be the culprit for touchscreen performance issues on the afflicted Galaxy S23 series devices.

In a post on the firm’s Korean support forums, Samsung suggests that anyone with touchscreen issues on their S23 should try deleting any Google app data and ensure that you have the latest version of the app installed on your phone. A device restart is also recommended. Samsung also claims that this is a temporary fix until Google can solve the problem (h/t SamMobile).

Due to compatibility issues with some Google app features (Discover), the app developer is improving related servers and apps.

It’s worth noting that the problem is supplementary to the fingerprint scanner, charging, and heat issues that have been plaguing Samsung Galaxy S23 owners since One UI 6.1 began rolling out over the past few weeks. This OTA includes lots of Galaxy AI functions including Circle to Search, Chat Assist, Intpreter mode, plus much more.

To clear app data for the Google app, head to Settings > Apps > Google > Storage > Clear data. You can check if you have the latest version of the Google app via the Play Store listing. Doing this should remove any issues and help improve the touchscreen responsiveness of your Galaxy S23 handset.