Galaxy users are not using AI to edit photos. Samsung’s data shows an interesting trend
Samsung has built a narrative that Galaxy AI is the biggest step forward in the history of its smartphones. The company boasted of intelligent cropping, removal of unwanted objects and generative tools that are supposed to “save” any photo. It appears that the tools that were supposed to be a game-changer remain a feature… bypassed by most users.
A new European survey shows the scale of this phenomenon. And although the survey was conducted with a relatively small sample (500 adults in 10 countries), the results fit very well into a broader trend: users have access to AI features, but can’t find them, don’t know how they work, or simply don’t feel the need to use them.
Samsung users see errors in photos… but do nothing about it
According to Samsung, as many as 9 out of 10 respondents notice elements in their photos that they would like to improve:
– people in the background,
– random objects,
– unwanted shadows,
– reflections they didn’t see when the photo was taken.
This is an important signal, because it shows that the need for editing is real. This is not an abstract problem – almost every user sees something that spoils a photo.
Now here’s the most interesting part: despite this need, up to 74% of respondents have never used Galaxy AI to correct these errors.
Not “rarely.”
Not “occasionally.”
Never.
This figure appears in a number of independent tech sites that cite the same study: SamMobile, Android Police, SammyFans, TheMobileIndian. So this isn’t an isolated interpretation – it looks like most Samsung Galaxy users are actually bypassing AI features.
Generative Edit – Samsung’s loudest feature with the least use
In the context of this survey, Generative Edit, a feature that was supposed to be Samsung’s answer to Apple’s approach, is particularly interesting. It allows you to remove objects, fill the background with AI, move frame elements and align the aesthetics of a photo. It generated enthusiasm on the Internet – memes, comparisons, tests, viral videos.
The problem is that this online hype has not translated into practice.
The report shows that Generative Edit is one of the least used features. Samsung doesn’t call it outright, but the industry reads it clearly: the feature is impressive, but hidden, and the average user has no idea they can use it.
Samsung points to the culprit: feature discoverability
The company does not blame users – quite the contrary. It admits that the problem is discoverability, i.e., the ease of finding features in the system. Photo Assist, Eraser, Remover, generative tools – most of them are hidden deep in the Gallery interface.
And Samsung is aware that the AI to look for will not be used.
This is not a new phenomenon. For years, UX research has shown that features that aren’t “at hand” don’t exist for the casual user. The same has been observed with Google Photos, Adobe Express or even night modes in cameras – as long as they don’t turn on automatically, they are used by a narrow group of informed users.
Second problem: people don’t want to waste a moment through photos
An interesting element of the survey is the conclusion that more than half of the respondents feel that taking pictures “takes them out of the moment.” Samsung points out that AI was supposed to solve this problem: take pictures without stress, correct later.
But here, too, there is a conflict: since users do not open the editing tools, the whole concept of “do it quickly, refine later” does not work.
Samsung survey is small, but trend is confirmed by other sources
Of course, it should be noted that a sample of 500 people in 10 countries is not much. This is not a report on which to draw conclusions about all Samsung owners in the world. What’s more, Samsung hasn’t released the full methodology – we don’t know which phone models respondents had and whether they all actually had access to Galaxy AI.
But at the same time:
– the lack of use of AI features in smartphones is confirmed by numerous analyses of consumer behavior,
– Google has repeatedly talked about “problematic adoption of AI in Photos,”
– Apple also notes low use of new editing features outside the “power users” group.
In short, the trend is reliable, even if the survey itself is not large.
The most important conclusion? AI means nothing if the user doesn’t see it
Samsung has powerful tools. Galaxy AI is indeed powerful and can save photos that would once have landed in the trash. The problem is that the vast majority of users live in a place where these features… don’t exist, because they don’t know how to find them.
From a UX and marketing perspective, this is a very valuable signal: smartphone manufacturers can pump millions into “revolutionary AI features,” but unless they are given like a platter – they remain a curiosity.
And from a market perspective?
This shows that the future of AI in smartphones does not depend on the power of generative models, but on the simplicity of use.
