Samsung and Google are reportedly trying to negotiate a deal after Google wanted it to remove Bixby and the Galaxy store from its smartphones. It wants Samsung to start promoting the Google play store and products more in exchange for monetary compensation. Samsung announced the launch of Bixby in 2017 an has invested a large amount of money in it. And though Google’s app store is accessible in of their devices, the phones have inbuilt buttons to make it easier for users to access Bixby. But according to both Bloomberg and Reuters, Google is now pushing the company to step away from Bixby.
Bloomberg’s is talking about how the deal “would promote Google’s digital assistant and Play Store for apps on [Samsung] devices.”
However, the Reuters report that was releases later is much more detailed and says that Samsung is “considering dropping its Bixby virtual assistant and Galaxy Apps Store from its mobile devices.” And that “Google is dangling more lucrative terms for Samsung than in previous deals if it retreats from its app strategy.”
As per Counterpoint, “For Google, a potential deal would see its search products in the hands of more users across the world. Samsung claimed 20% of the global smartphone market in Q1 2020.”
The deal can be beneficial to both Samsung and Google, but it is highly unlikely that Samsung would entirely scrape off Bixby since it is a primary factor in coordinating different digital products. Moreover, users in China can’t access the google play store due to its unavailability in the country. But it is possible for these tech giants to reach somewhat of an agreeable settlement like providing users the choice to use Bixby or the Google app store during the initial stage of set up.
Now we wait to see the final result of this intense negotiation. will Google successfully persuade the Korean company to give up Bixby. Or will Samsung choose to retain its duplicate ecosystem in the face of massive compensation which might be accommodating amidst this pandemic situation which is adversely affecting sales.
While talking to Bloomberg, Google in its statement said, like all Android device makers, Samsung is free to create its own app store and digital assistant,” said the company’s spokesperson. “That’s one of the great features of the Android platform. And while we regularly talk with partners about ways to improve the user experience, we have no plans to change that.”
