Samsung has confirmed that it made a mistake in the recent update on the international version of its flagship Galaxy S3 smartphone that disabled the local search functionality.
The over-the-air (OTA) update following Google’s patent dispute with Apple, was referred as a "stability" update, and has been pushed with the firmware version I9300XXLG6, a new 27MB download, according to BBC News.
The feature, also known as universal search, allows users to search for content and contact details stored on the phone through a unified search interface.
Samsung said a fix was imminent, according to the report.
"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.
"Samsung will provide the correct software upgrade within the next few days."
Apple claims the feature infringes its patent to a single search interface which it uses in its Siri app to collate results from a range of sources, according to the report.
This month, the iPhone maker had already won a temporary sales ban on another Samsung handset, the Galaxy Nexus in the US because of the use of the patent.
That dispute will be taken up again by a Washington-based court on 20 August.
Samsung and Apple are at loggerheads over smartphones and tablets patents.
Apple, fighting legal battles in the US as well as Europe, South Korea and Australia with the Soth Korean technology firm, alleged that Samsung has copied its products and intends to protect its intellectual property.
Last week, A UK court has ordered Apple to publish ads admitting ‘Samsung didn’t copy the iPad’
In Germany, this week a regional appeals court extended the ban on sales of Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 7.7 to the entire European Union, though, it rejected ban against the new Galaxy Tab 10.1.
