A little over a month ago, we told you about a change at a major phone manufacturer that was most significant and potentially worrying for Google’s current hegemonic position: Bing boosted with ChatGPT aimed to become the engine of Samsung’s default search instead of classic google. Well, according to the Wall Street Journal and using sources familiar with this procedure, there have been changes: After an internal review, Samsung suspended the switch from Google to Bing.
ChatGPT is slowly but surely going to disrupt and penetrate technology and within it, internet searches. And it is that although the chatbot does not have an Internet connection, Microsoft has integrated it into its renewed browser and the Bing search engine was only the first step. Later, Microsoft attempted to make Bing the default search engine for the Firefox browser. Simultaneously, Samsung was considering changing its default search engine on Galaxy phones to precisely Bing
Samsung is not only one of the benchmark brands in the industry in terms of age, but also (some of its phones) are among the best sellers in the global market. Although Google Chrome comes pre-installed on most Galaxy devices, your devices also come with their own browser which also uses Google as the default search engine. Even the One UI launcher has a Google search widget on the homepage. Google’s presence in Samsung phones is massive.
This is why, a month ago, the New York Times reported that the employees of Google were in shock of a possible change, since this agreement between those of Mountain View and the Korean firm represents something $3 billion in annual revenue for Google from search.
For now, Samsung remains as is
Samsung’s reasons for backing down (according to the Wall Street Journal). Samsung’s initial idea was precisely to change the search engine of its own browser to the power of Bing with ChatGPT. But for Samsung this change would not be so revolutionary, since most people do not use their internal browser. This is not the only reason: the Korean firm is also concerned about how this change could affect its relationship with Google and the market’s perception of this decision.
It’s important to note that Google has lucrative deals with Samsung and Apple to ensure that Google apps and services are the default on devices from the two major manufacturers in the market. In the case of Samsung, it also integrates Google’s Android operating system, has access to the Google Play app store, and Google even customizes its apps to optimize it for more special phones like its foldables. For its part, Google is buying chips and other components from Samsung. Their agreements and good relationship are strategic for both of them and for the sector.
Why did Samsung want to change Google to Bing? Although no official statement explains it, it is possible that Microsoft’s rapid expansion and success in these early phases of materializing artificial intelligence had an influence. However, Google seems to have stepped on the accelerator with Google Bard and the integration of artificial intelligence into its search engine so as not to be left behind.
Having said that, this change of mind does not imply forever. As the Wall Street Journal continues, Samsung “don’t close the door all the timeto use Bing as your default search engine in the future.
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