Samsung blocks S-Voice access after leak to Android community

Samsung's soon to be released Galaxy S III has faced an unexpected leak. The S-Voice which is an exclusive feature of the new phone has accidentally been made available to users who have Ice-Cream Sandwich aka Android 4.0 OS on their phones.

Android Community developers on XDA, said that they managed to get their hands on S-Voice APK file. APK stands for Android application package; a file format which can be used to directly install application software and middleware onto Android phones like the Galaxy Nexus.

The Android community also reports that the S-Voice APK, allowed owners of other Ice Cream Sandwich-powered smartphones to install Samsung's new voice assistant (its Siri rival) and perform commands on their devices.

Samsung it appears has gone into damage control mode. TheNextWeb reports that Samsung and partner Vlingo, who developed the technology behind the voice functions have blocked requests from users of non-supported devices. Users who tried to use the S-Voice received a "Network Error. Please Try Again" message according to the website.

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Samsung Galaxy S III already has over 9 million pre-orders. The Korean giant is now the world's biggest smartphone maker, ahead of rival Apple. Android has played a crucial role in Samsung's success.

The S III is available for pre-order in India on Samsung's online store. Customers have to pay an advance of Rs 2000 if they wish to buy the phone. The phone is rumoured to launch in India in June for Rs 38000.