The Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 was due to receive an update that would allow it to support Google Assistant for a long time. Samsung’s attempt to integrate its own personal assistant, Bixby, was met with mixed reactions, with a large majority of Galaxy device users not buying it. Needless to say, Bixby was a disaster for Samsung.
Since Samsung and Apple plan to take on Apple and have been working on a joint plan to achieve the same thing, we saw the two come together for the latest Galaxy Watch, sporting a hybrid version of Google’s wearable operating system that the companies dubbed, “Use an operating system powered by Samsung. It was a return to the OS after nearly a decade of focusing on open source Tizen, now offering something of a hybrid approach between the two. The deal meant Samsung devices dramatically improved their access to third-party apps through the Play Store, while Wear OS got a big boost in market share ahead of the Pixel Watch’s launch. Another benefit of the partnership between Samsung and Google, especially for users, is increased access to Google services on Samsung wearable devices. Galaxy Watch 4 owners will now be able to download and use the Google Assistant on their wrist, bringing enhanced voice commands to the small screen. Having said that, Bixby will still stick around, at least until the next Galaxy Watch appears this year.
Google has undoubtedly promised Samsung a greater focus on Wear OS, which has largely stayed afloat in a market dominated by a single player, the Apple Watch. It will be interesting to see how this partnership develops and evolves when Google finally launches its own Pixel watch in its Autumn event, along with the Pixel 7 series. Google hopes to take on Apple head-on and emerge as the de facto Android smartwatch. Whether they’ll be able to win over first-time smartwatch buyers and, more importantly, convert Apple Watch users. Otherwise, it’s likely to eat up Samsung’s share of the wearable market. Via: FirstPost
