Normally, we are used to Smart TV manufacturers adding new features, but it is not so common for them to eliminate them. And, taking into account that we are talking about Samsung, the news has been received with quite a surprise by users and specialists.
Starting March 1, 2024, Samsung Smart TVs will no longer have access to the use of Google Assistant. If you were used to using it in your daily life with television, what the Korean manufacturer recommends is that you take a look at the other available options. But what happened for this decision to be made?
A change in Google policy
If we access the Samsung website where explain what happened and they talk about Google Assistant, although briefly, they indicate that the disappearance of the assistant is the result of a policy change that the company of the most used search engine in the world has introduced. It is unknown, however, what this change is and whether it will have a more global impact.
That is, we are talking about Samsung, but it would not be unusual for other Smart TV manufacturers to end up adopting the same measure if they encounter the problem that has led this brand to eliminate the function. In this way, companies like LG could also announce similar news in the near future.
What about Google Assistant?
The truth is that the Google assistant is in free fall while undergoing a series of modifications that will represent a radical change in approach. First of all, in this month of February, by decision of Google itself, its assistant is going to lose almost 20 of its functions. No less important, in 2023 the tool has already lost several of its features, which left it at a certain disadvantage compared to other similar assistants.
To this we must add that Google has carried out layoffs among the Assistant support team, which could be seen as a confirmation that the situation is not the best possible. Taking this into account, the disappearance of Samsung televisions should not, therefore, be something so dramatic. It is said that, for example, the future of Google Assistant is the absorption by Google’s current AI, Gemini, which is obviously superior in all its aspects.
Therefore, one would have to imagine that, sooner or later, Samsung televisions could also have this tool. However, it is something that is not confirmed and could be said to be entirely in the realm of hypotheses. As the Korean company currently states on its website, the best option for users starting in March will be to use Alexa or Bixby, assistants that are supported in all their Smart TV models.
In another vein, and trying to clarify the situation with some additional information, we must go back to 2023 to understand that this is something that was seen coming. Because Samsung had introduced Google Assistant support in its models in previous years (2020, 2021 and 2022), but in 2023 it made the decision to leave the assistant out of its new televisions. Because of this, and although there were several theories as to why it had happened, it could be seen that the relationship between Samsung and Google Assistant was not exactly at its best.
What does not stop sounding strange is that they argue this change in Google’s policy as a decision to eliminate the tool from the televisions on which, until now, it was present. It is possible that, sooner or later, we will have more information about what happened to know what has happened. Today, the only thing we can do is assimilate that Google Assistant disappears from Samsung Smart TVs on March 1. Luckily, there are plenty of alternatives.
