Samsung is apparently phasing out Google Assistant on its older smart TVs, with an announcement on the TV manufacturer’s support page citing a change in Google’s policy for removing Google’s AI voice assistant from TVs.
According to a Samsung support page, Google Assistant, currently available on 2020 Lifestyle TVs such as Frame, Serif, Terrace and Sero, as well as 2020 Crystal USH TVs, 2020 8K and 4K QLED models, and all 2021 and 2022 smart TVs, will no longer be available beginning March 1. Samsung had already stopped supporting Google Assistant on new TVs starting last year.
The company then directs users to other control options, such as its own smart home platform SmartThings, its AI voice agent Bixby, and Amazon Alexa.
Samsung doesn’t go into detail on what policy changes from Google prompted the company to do away with Google Assistant. However, recent changes to Google Assistant and future plans for an upgraded Assistant experience may be part of the reason.
Last month, Google announced that it would be eliminating 17 underutilized Assistant features, but none of those features had anything to do with smart TVs.
And, at a Made by Google event in October, the company said it would be bringing the company’s ChatGPT-like generative AI tool, Bard, to Google Home and Assistant. The company is planning to bring some new AI capabilities to Google Home next year to make smart homes more intuitive and helpful. Using generative AI features, users will be able to see a streamlined view of recent activity, with a quick and easy summary.
For example, users wondering about packages being delivered can ask about their home in their natural language and quickly find the clip they’re looking for from their Nest doorbell video history. Users can take action on these insights by typing a follow-up query, and the Home app will generate a list of suggested automations.
However, it’s unclear if those updates are what prompted Samsung to do away with Google Assistant on its TVs. Nevertheless, Google’s AI upgrades to Assistant seem to be similar to what Amazon has planned for Alexa, including a new subscription plan for advanced AI features.
Removing a popular voice assistant used to control smart home devices from TVs seems to buck a growing trend, with LG planning to add support for Google Home and Chromecast in its smart TVs. In addition, Samsung itself will soon be enabling users to control their smart home devices on a Samsung smart TV via SmartThings.
