Samsung abandons plans to change the default search engine on smartphones from Google to Bing.
The world's largest smartphone maker has halted internal reviews of the possibility of replacing Google with Bing on its mobile devices, according to WSJ sources. Google will continue to be the default search engine on Samsung's web browser.
With its rival right behind it, any move to abandon Google Search would be beneficial to Bing. Microsoft’s search engine has made notable strides in recent years, especially after integrating OpenAI’s chatbot platform.
Google, Microsoft and Samsung all declined to comment. The prospect of Samsung switching its search engine from Google to Bing was revealed by the New York Times last month.
The South Korean tech giant initially considered switching search engines, but that didn’t change the status quo significantly because the majority of Samsung smartphone users don’t use the company’s own internet apps. Most of them opt for other browsers, including Google Chrome, which also comes pre-installed on Samsung phones.
For now, Samsung has decided not to discuss the matter further internally due to concerns that it could cause unwanted repercussions and affect its extensive partnership with Google. Bing may still be an option in the future.
Samsung shipped about 260 million smartphones in 2022, according to Counterpoint Research, accounting for about a fifth of the world's total. Google has been the default search engine on Samsung smartphones since the first-generation Galaxy S launched in 2010.
A series of Google applications and services appear by default on Samsung smartphones. Photo: Shutterstock.
However, Samsung’s smartphone business also sees its heavy reliance on Google software as a concern. The WSJ source said exploring the possibility of switching to Bing is part of Samsung’s ongoing efforts to diversify its smartphone software and consider new services.
Google's search engine, the world's most visited website, now accounts for about 93% of searches on desktop and mobile devices, while Bing accounts for about 3%, according to the latest tracking data from Statcounter.
Google has lucrative deals with Samsung and Apple to ensure that its apps and services appear by default on the devices of the world's two largest smartphone manufacturers. Google pays Apple between $8-12 billion a year, while a similar deal with Samsung could be significantly less.
Nearly all of Samsung’s phones rely on Google’s Android operating system. The search giant even tweaks its apps to work on Samsung’s foldable smartphones. Google, in turn, is a major buyer of Samsung’s memory chips.
Samsung's smartphones compete with Google's Pixel phones, and they also compete in areas including tablets, laptops, wearables, as well as smart home devices and solutions.
Similarly, Microsoft maintains a close partnership with Samsung. The two companies work together to create seamless connections between their services, such as Windows PCs syncing with apps on Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
According to Zing
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