Samsung TVs to lose Google Assistant next month
Google Assistant has been a standard fixture on smart TVs, thanks to the ubiquity of Google TV and Android TV. Starting with its 2020 lineup, Samsung had also added it to its Tizen smart TV platform. However, as per an official update posted on its support page, starting March 1st, 2024, the feature will be unavailable on all of its models, including those that originally came with it.
The update comes around a year after Google Assistant was quietly removed from Samsung's 2023 lineup. Now, it will also be dropped from previous models, namely:
- All 2022 Smart TV models
- All 2021 Smart TV models
- 2020 8K and 4K QLED TVs
- 2020 Crystal UHD TVs
- 2020 Lifestyle TVs (Frame, Serif, Terrace, and Sero)
Samsung has stated that the change is “due to a change in Google's policy”, without any further details. Google has very recently changed the Assistant service by dropping several unused features, but whether these developments are related is unclear.
For current owners of Samsung TVs, Amazon’s Alexa and Samsung’s own Bixby are now the remaining voice assistant options. Meanwhile Google Assistant continues to be supported by the latest smart TVs from LG, Sony, TCL, Hisense and others.
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