According to a Bloomberg report, Google and Samsung are discussing a deal that would give more importance to the services of the American technology giant in Samsung phones at the expense of those of the Korean manufacturer. According to reports, the deal would involve promoting Google Assistant and the Play Store instead of Samsung’s own alternatives.
Samsung is the largest smartphone company in the world and by far the leading manufacturer of Android phones in the United States. While their phones use Google’s Android operating system, Samsung has always tried to build an ecosystem of its own software that runs on Android, including voice assistant Bixby and the Galaxy app store. Google’s own products are still available on Samsung phones, but Samsung has gone so far as to include dedicated buttons on its hardware in an attempt to make Bixby the most affordable option for customers.
Google and Samsung have previously grappled with the smartphone maker’s Android customizations, and Samsung reportedly agreed to tone down some of its TouchWiz tweaks in 2014. While it appears Google is still unhappy with what has happened since then. , Samsung will take some weight to convince you. hour. The potential terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but as Bloomberg points out, Google has a multi-million dollar deal with Apple to be the default search provider in the Safari browser.
Another twist in this story is that the news comes when Google joins other tech giants to try to convince American lawmakers that it is not abusing its power. Play Store and Google’s mandatory service package on Android phones have received increased antitrust scrutiny, and a deal with Samsung could undermine Google’s argument that the Android platform allows for strong competition.
“Samsung remains committed to our own ecosystem and services,” a Samsung spokesperson told Bloomberg in a statement. “At the same time, Samsung works closely with Google and other partners to deliver the best mobile experiences for our users.”
“Like all manufacturers of Android devices, Samsung is free to create its own app store and digital assistant,” says a Google spokesperson. “That is one of the excellent features of the Android platform. And while we regularly talk to partners about ways to improve the user experience, we have no plans to change that. ”
