Samsung unveiled a handful of updates in an education and donation-based app, aiming to increase user involvement in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations in 2015.

The Samsung Global Goals app provides users with a guide to the SDGs, and offers options for them to take part by making direct donations to the campaign and by tapping on adverts to generate revenue for the UN programme.

In a statement, Samsung explained one of the app’s new features will allow users to make direct donations to their preferred SDGs by using Samsung Pay and Google Pay.

The functionality is currently available in the US, Canada, Singapore, Australia and the UK, with more regions expected to be added in the future.

Samsung said users were able to donate 100 per cent of revenue generated by in-app adverts to the SDGs and pledged to match those donations up to a maximum of $5 million per year.

Another update will open the offer to adverts shown on a device’s lock screen while on charge, with users shown a prompt regarding the function when plugging their phone in.

Samsung also unveiled user experience upgrades and a wider range of lock screen options, said to make it easier “to stay engaged and inspired to contribute”.

The donation app has been downloaded more than 10 million times since its launch in the second half of 2019, data from Google Play showed.