Samsung is primarily a hardware company, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t tried its hand at services. Back in 2014, Samsung launched its Milk music streaming service in select markets, only to shut it down a few years later. With rivals like Apple making a good chunk of money from services, it is expected that Samsung would want to replicate the success. Being the largest smartphone vendor in the world gives Samsung an enviable opportunity to pre-load its services on its devices.
Samsung's own messaging app?
Samsung has filed a trademark application with the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) for the brand name ‘Uhssup’ on January 26, 2018. The trademark application describes it as a mobile app that allows for sharing real-time locations of users and communicating with friends. None of this sounds any different from what other popular messaging apps already offer. So, it is not yet clear what Samsung’s rationale is behind this service if it's intended for public release, although the implementation will hopefully be better than the now-defunct ChatOn service.
Of course, a trademark application alone doesn’t guarantee the launch of a product or a service. Samsung patents and trademarks many ideas and names which never make it to the market. However, this trademark does look a bit more focused and may actually launch sometime in the future. If it does, let’s hope Samsung adds enough functionality to justify its presence on Samsung smartphones.
