Samsung to launch S Pen SDK in September, eyes third party apps for remote control
Samsung said it will launch a software developer kit for its Bluetooth Low Energy enabled S Pen that comes with the Galaxy Note 9 in September.
The idea is to connect the S Pen, which can control apps such as the Note 9 camera, gallery, video and other tools such as Microsoft's PowerPoint. Samsung's move to open up the S Pen highlights how the company is developing an ecosystem and community around the stylus.
Also: How to use the updated S Pen with Bluetooth in Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 | Samsung Galaxy Note 9: A cheat sheet TechRepublic
Samsung's plan is to open up the S Pen SDK to developers so they can connect their apps to the stylus. Eric McCarty, vice president of mobile product marketing for Samsung's B2B unit, said the S Pen today is set to operate the camera by default, but the company wants "enterprises to customize the experience for their applications."
Inside the settings of the Note 9 the S Pen can be customized. Based on devices I saw, the S Pen can act as a remote control for apps on the Note 9 already with PowerPoint as the only third party option.
Should Samsung's S Pen developer outreach work, the stylus could have more business use cases to help pitch the Note series as a key business productivity tool. Here's a look at the settings for S Pen and where a third party app would land.