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Samsung to reinstate the Galaxy S3's search function

After the universal search function vanished with a software update in the Galaxy S3, the device manufacturer now says it was "inadvertent" and a fix is on the way.

Dara Kerr Former senior reporter
Dara Kerr was a senior reporter for CNET covering the on-demand economy and tech culture. She grew up in Colorado, went to school in New York City and can never remember how to pronounce gif.
Dara Kerr
2 min read
Samsung's Galaxy S3. Samsung

Never fear, a fix is supposedly near. Samsung confirmed today that the recent "stability update" on the Galaxy S3 that rendered the on-device search function useless was going to be repaired immediately, according to the BBC.

"The most recent software upgrade for the Galaxy S3 in the UK included the inadvertent removal of the universal search function," the company said in a statement, according to the BBC. "Samsung will provide the correct software upgrade within the next few days."

Reports of the bunk update surfaced earlier this month when S3 owners found out that they couldn't use the local search function for the Web, contacts, apps, and other information. They were given no warning that this would happen when they downloaded the software, according to the BBC. The "stability update" reportedly only affected international versions of the phone.

At first, there were rumors that the disappearance of the search function was the result of the continuing patent spat between Samsung and Apple -- since Apple owns a patent that covers local searches. But, according to the BBC, Samsung said today that it actually made a mistake in releasing this software.

More than 10 million units of the Galaxy S3 have been sold since it launched a couple of months ago. However, it's been fraught with delays in shipping and questions about certain features already patented by Apple. U.S. sales of another of Samsung's smartphones, the Galaxy Nexus, have already been banned due to alleged patent infringement of Apple's iPhone.

CNET contacted Samsung for comment. We'll update the story when we get more information.

Watch this: Samsung's Galaxy S III Unboxing at Always On