Future Samsung Galaxy phones could ditch apps for a whole new experience, reveals company exec

Samsung announced during Gamescom this week that its Mobile Gaming Hub now embraces cloud gaming in the UK and Germany – and it signals an interesting time ahead for Galaxy phones and connected devices in general.

Previously available in the US only, the hub allows Galaxy phone owners to play mobile games without needing to download or install them, using cloud streaming technology instead.

It works in similar fashion to Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia GeForce Now – you start a game and your control codes are sent to remote servers, with footage of the gameplay streamed back to you online.

This is especially great for owners of older or lesser-spec'ed Galaxy handsets, as the hardware doesn't need to be the latest and greatest to play intricate, GPU-hungry titles – you just need to be able to access the Samsung's Gaming Hub and have a data connection.

But the fun doesn't stop there. While this is dedicated to gaming right now, T3 has learned that it could be stretched to other types of apps in future – and could even bring about the end of phone apps entirely.

Heading for an app-less future

I spoke with Samsung's global vice president of services, developer and marketing, Jong Hyuk Woo, who painted a picture where the company's cloud technology could eventually change the way phone users access all software, not just games.

"We believe in a future where people don't have to download content anymore," he told me.

"You can think of it almost like an app-less future. There's a lot of talk about app-less experiences and AI, and being able to use agents to drive all of that. At the end of the day, we're talking about an infrastructure that doesn't require people to download content onto local devices anymore.

"You can seamlessly get into experiences whether it's a game or whatnot."

Jong explained that everything you want to do on your phone, TV or even smart fridge, could be served via the cloud rather than installed apps.

"We believe that when it comes to gaming at the very least, that it should go in the direction of music, movies and TV shows. No-one is downloading music from iTunes anymore, or waiting to download 4GB on a device to watch a movie on the go," he added.

"We know that gaming is going in that direction. And then beyond that, the infrastructure that we build and scale will have far greater implications for how consumers engage with their phones in future."

You don't necessarily need flagship devices

This could also have huge ramifications for those who might not be able to afford the very best devices. By moving tools, utilities and advanced third and first-party experiences to the cloud, it would allow all Galaxy phone owners to use more complex features and software.

Even today, the new cloud capabilities of the Mobile Gaming Hub open access to more demanding games to a wider audience.

"The only prerequisite we have is that the user has the Galaxy Store on their device. It means every every Galaxy device is cloud-enabled out of the box," Jong told me.

"So even the entry A, J and M series devices with limited storage will be able to have near flagship experiences for games. This is great on two fronts: one for the end users who have these lower-end devices who would not get access to the best games in the app store; and for game publishers, who can deliver this content without the dependency of the device."

So although Samsung's Gamescom announcement might seem small amongst the vast amount of game launches and trailers coming out of Germany, it could have the biggest impact on our future devices.

At the very least, it could allow you to play the likes of Call of Duty no matter how jaded your existing Galaxy handset might be.