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Almost all Samsung users complain that their Galaxy devices come with bloatware apps pre-installed. Some of them can’t even be deleted. This is not a new problem. Samsung has been aware of this problem since the days of his TouchWiz, the predecessor of One UI.
But if so, why is the company refusing to address this issue? One word: Google. Samsung and Google share the same goal of beating Apple, but the two companies have a long history of rivalry. This is why Samsung doesn’t want users to use his Google app.
Why Samsung and Google need each other
Samsung and Google have a symbiotic relationship. On the one hand, Google needs Samsung, the world’s largest manufacturer of Android phones and the largest supplier of Google services. In a way, Samsung is making Google services really reach people.
Without Samsung, many Android users would simply switch to iPhones as there is no strong alternative. Google will be even more disadvantaged and unable to generate as much ad revenue.
Samsung, on the other hand, needs Google because it owns Android and has better know-how on how to build apps and services. Our services make Android phones more attractive and ensure Samsung users stay loyal and never switch to iPhone.
Without Google, Samsung cannot compete with the Apple ecosystem on its own. So Google is primarily a software company and Samsung is primarily a hardware company. Competing with Apple requires synergy between the two.
How Samsung tried to kill Google and failed
This is where things get interesting. Samsung hates being dependent on Google. If it were up to Samsung, Galaxy phones wouldn’t even work with Android. In fact, in 2010 Samsung tried to replace Android by launching its own mobile OS called Bada. When that didn’t work, Samsung tried again with his Tizen in 2012, but to no avail.
Samsung failed to replace Android, but its attempt threatened Google. If Samsung somehow manages to create a competitive mobile OS in the future, it could theoretically force its own services on users. This makes Google services and the Android OS irrelevant almost overnight.
So, in retaliation, Google acquired Motorola for $12.5 billion in 2012. The blog post states that the Motorola acquisition will “help protect the Android ecosystem” and “accelerate innovation and choice in his mobile computing.” Now, although the post doesn’t mention anyone in particular, it’s reasonable to assume that the move was intended as a warning to Samsung.
If Samsung doesn’t “act,” Google can use Motorola as a means of direct competition. For example, Google could give Motorola its first dibs with a new Android update, optimizing its services to work very well on Motorola phones, making it less attractive to other brands.
Seeing this, Samsung finally agreed to tone down its bloatware apps, keep Android’s overall look and feel, and make some Google services the default option for Galaxy phones. No wonder Google sold Motorola to Lenovo in 2014 for just $2.91 billion.
However, this competition is not over yet. In 2017 Samsung launched his Bixby. It’s a unique virtual assistant set to compete directly with Google Assistant. Bixby is a great assistant in its own right, but convincing Android users to say “Hey Bixby” instead of “Hey Google” can be a challenge.
How the Samsung and Google partnership has evolved
Fast forward to today, and Samsung and Google’s partnership has become more courteous. As Google looks to expand and enhance his Pixel product portfolio, it needs Samsung’s manufacturing facilities and hardware expertise to do so.
If the two companies work together, Samsung will be able to secure Google as a major manufacturing customer. Google, on the other hand, could keep Samsung from messing with Android, using his WearOS on the Galaxy Watch, and collaborating on future projects.
In fact, the Tensor chipset that powers Google Pixel phones is manufactured by Samsung Foundry. In October 2022, Samsung announced an expanded partnership with Google to streamline its smart home ecosystem, including SmartThings and Google Home. There are also reports that the display of the rumored Pixel Fold is also made by Samsung.
For context, this partnership doesn’t mean Samsung has to stop developing its own apps and services. This simply means Samsung needs to prioritize Google services that are key to the Android experience, such as the Google Play Store, Assistant and Search.
Why Samsung is getting better at software
Samsung is clearly the king of hardware, but they know software is the future. why? Once the sale is made, the company loses control over the product’s hardware, but the software is infinitely flexible and controllable, making it profitable.
At its core, your phone is just a portal to your favorite apps, so technically it doesn’t matter which brand it’s from, as long as your hardware is good enough. , but that’s exactly why Samsung has started to focus on software in the last few years.
For example, we know TouchWiz was already terrible when it launched in 2010, but One UI has been one of the best Android skins on the market since its launch in 2018.
Samsung phones now receive four years of major OS updates. That’s more than any other Android brand, including Google itself. The company also works with various developers to optimize popular third-party apps like Snapchat and Instagram for Galaxy phones.
Samsung is partnering with Microsoft to bridge the ecosystem gap. That’s why Samsung uses Microsoft OneDrive instead of Google Drive when backing up Galaxy phones. And with the Link to Windows app pre-installed on your Galaxy device, you can instantly connect to your Windows PC.
All of these efforts are aimed at reducing Samsung’s reliance on Google. The problem is that many modern apps and services rely on Google Mobile Services (GMS). For example, WhatsApp uses Google Drive to back up chats, Uber uses Google Maps for navigation, and game developers need the Play Store to handle in-app purchases.
In other words, not using Google services is simply not an option for most of us, so there’s not much Samsung can realistically do in this area right now. Working with Microsoft means maintaining as much control as possible in areas where Google is not a very strong competitor, such as smart TVs, flip phones, laptops and gaming consoles.
Samsung and Google continue their feverish relationship
The relationship between Samsung and Google is a complicated one, and one that’s become more civilized now, but knowing the lengths both have gone through over the past few years to remain competitive in the industry, I can’t help but feel uneasy about the future.
What we do know for sure is that things can turn around very quickly in the tech industry.The two tech giants need each other as much as they repel each other. It will be interesting to see how these two brands evolve and what the Android community does next.
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