Samsung is shutting down its unsuccessful messaging service

Samsung is going to close down its ChatON mobile messaging app on February 1 next year. In a statement, the electronics manufacturer said, “ChatOn will be discontinued in all markets except the US” It claims the decision is so it can focus on its “core services,” and is only remaining active in America until March, possibly due to contractual obligations with certain networks. 

After denying reports that its ChatOn service was close to being disbanded on a region-by-region basis, Samsung has announced in Korea that it’s going away. According to Yonhap News, Samsung’s statement said it will close up shop on February 1st. It’s not immediately clear whether or not that will hold across all regions, but Samsung went on to state that users would be able to back up their data before the shutdown. The company blamed “changing market conditions” for the change, but seems that despite a claimed 100 million strong user base, people weren’t really using the software preloaded on so many smartphones.