Apparently Google and Samsung are working on a deal that would boost Google products on Samsung smartphones, according to a Bloomberg report. That means Google could gain greater access to Samsung users, while the Samsung ecosystem is affected.
Samsung is the world’s largest smartphone maker, and Google’s Android is its preferred operating system. However, if you’ve ever used a Samsung device, you know that Samsung has its own ecosystem that it keeps trying to push, to the point that there is some degree of overlap. Bloomberg reports that the deal appears to be focused on getting Google more control over search on Samsung phones, as well as getting Samsung to sideline its own app store and Bixby, the digital assistant no one asked for, in favor of the Play Store. and Google Assistant.
There’s a lot about this possible deal to analyze, but at a glance, it feels a lot like Google taking on the role of Regina George from the teen classic romcom Bad Girls, telling Gretchen of Samsung “Stop trying to make Bixby happen! It won’t happen! “Samsung have He tried very, very hard to make Bixby one thing: put it front and center on his phones, smart watches, and even multiple headphones over the years. It hasn’t worked, while the Google Assistant has come a long way during the same time period. Regarding Bixby, Google could have a point.
Bixby aside, the benefits of this possible deal for Google are obvious. It is less clear what there is for Samsung. That said, the global pandemic led to the sale of smartphones. plummeting 20% in the first quarter of 2020, with Gartner noting that Samsung saw a double-digit decrease of 22.7%. That could mean Samsung has less bargaining power right now, and agreeing to promote Google Assistant and the Play Store would mean a big payday for Samsung. As Bloomberg noted, Google is pleased to shell out large amounts of money to be the default search engine in Apple’s Safari web browser. There is no reason why it should not become a highlight on every Samsung smartphone.
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Still, this might also seem like Google is somewhat … intimidating Samsung when it’s down. It’s a particularly interesting time, given that Google is in the midst of an antitrust hearing. The Play Store, and if Google used it as a means of intimidating phone manufacturers into preloading their apps, it was a matter of containment during the European Union antitrust investigation on Google in 2018. It is also something that is likely to appear however, during the current hearings the experts are divided on whether Google (and Apple) are choking the little ones with their dominance of the platform. It remains to be seen whether congressional antitrust hearings will have an impact on this rumored Samsung-Google deal.
“Like all manufacturers of Android devices, Samsung is free to create its own app store and digital assistant,” a Google spokesperson told Bloomberg. “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. ”
Meanwhile, Samsung also told Bloomberg that “Samsung remains committed to our own ecosystem and services. At the same time, Samsung works closely with Google and other partners to deliver the best mobile experiences for our users. “
Hmm These statements have all the typical corporate hedges you would expect from an official comment. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising if, on future devices, Samsung’s local alternatives come to the background.
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