Samsung is rolling out an update for the global version of its Galaxy S3 smartphone, but the update comes with a surprise: it disables the local search functionality of the device. As first reported by Android Central, the over-the-air (OTA) upgrade currently rolling out comes as a "stability update."

The stability update does bring system improvements, but it also disables the local search functionality from the Samsung Galaxy S3's built-in Google Search app. While before the update you could use the Google search bar on the home screen to find data on the phone as well as on the Web, now data stored locally on the device will not be included in the search results.

Local search has been stripped off of some Galaxy S3 devices in the United States, as well as on the unlocked global version. The change is believed to stem from the ongoing patent dispute between the South Korean company and Cupertino, California-based Apple.

Patent Dispute

As previously mentioned, the local search feature allowed users to see content and contact details stored on the device through a unified search interface. Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung over its use of local search, and won a temporary sales ban on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Tab 10.1 in July. Faced with the injunction, Samsung has removed the local search from the Galaxy Nexus, and now it appears it is also removing the feature from the global version of the Samsung Galaxy S3 flagship smartphone. Wireless carriers in the U.S. have already rolled out updates to remove the feature. Users were not informed that the update would disable the local search feature.

"Samsung may be doing this as a precautionary measure to prevent it having to pay damages on devices sold outside the US in case Apple prevails in the States and then pursues a similar suit elsewhere," said Simon Clark, head of intellectual property at law firm Berwin Leighton Paisner, as cited by the BBC. "Generally speaking a multinational company like Apple will have patent protection in all its key countries, and the wording will be very similar in each area. Although patent law can vary across territories it's quite likely that a ruling in one country will lead to similar decisions in others."

Apple claims the innovation violates its patent covering a single search interface which it uses in its Siri app to consolidate results from a range of sources. This patent dispute will be reconsidered by a Washington-based court on Aug. 20. Regardless of the ruling, however, it would not have been applied to the Samsung Galaxy S3 model (GT-i9300) sold in the UK and other countries outside the United States.