In Google’s ideal world, every Android phone on the market would ship with its first-party apps front and center. Samsung has so far refused to do that, with the virtual assistant Bixby being the perfect example. However, Bixby may be about to disappear.
As Reuters reports, Samsung is thought to be considering a new global-revenue sharing deal being offered by Google in return for ditching both Bixby and the Galaxy Apps Store. Instead, future Samsung smartphones would default to using Google Assistant and the Play Store. The deal is also expected to give Google’s search service “greater prominence” on Samsung’s mobile hardware.
The exact terms being offered aren’t known, but “a source familiar with the talks” believes Google has increased its offer in terms of the percentage of ad revenue Samsung would receive from Google apps running on its phones. It’s also thought that both companies are aiming to get the terms of the deal finalized by this coming Friday, suggesting Samsung is very close to being happy with Google’s latest offer.
Samsung has been trying hard to “make Bixby happen” since 2018, but it’s not the most popular virtual assistant by a long shot. Most users prefer Google Assistant and search out ways to disable Bixby on their phone. With that in mind, it seems likely Samsung and Google announcing a deal that sees Bixby disappear as a service won’t spark much, if any outrage among consumers.
