Is this the start of the end for Samsung’s Bixby assistant?

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If you’ve ever picked up a Samsung smartphone, you’ll know that they are stuffed to the brim with Samsung-branded apps. From its own web browser to the Galaxy app store, the “Samsung Daily” news feed, and the oft-maligned Bixby virtual assistant. It’s almost like Samsung wants you to forget that their phones run Android, which is made by Google, but that looks like it will be changing in the near future.

Bloomberg has the scoop that Samsung is in discussions with Google over a deal that would bring Google’s app suite to the fore on Galaxy devices, and not the Samsung-branded versions of each app.

Huge news if true, as Samsung has long opted to gloss over anything Google on their devices. With the deal supposed to consist of Google Search, Google Assistant, and the Google Play Store over Samsung’s Bixby and Galaxy Store. Does that mean Samsung has finally thrown in the towel on Bixby development? Has Google decided that instead of struggling with its own Pixel line of smartphones, that partnering with Samsung, the biggest smartphone producer in the world, is a better bet for the future of Android?

With Huawei, its main competitor, blacklisted from Google’s support, this is a perfect opportunity for Samsung to better serve the Android community by reducing fragmentation. Expect the rest of Samsung’s apps to follow in the future, everything from the fitness apps to the default web browser on Samsung devices and more.

Google is reportedly paying for this new arrangement, with specifics not yet released. Can we have the Google Camera and all its AI greatness on Galaxy devices without needing to sideload? Please?

Oh, and if you’re reading Samsung, where is our Bixby Home smart speaker? Huh?

Have any thoughts on this? Are you a fan of having more Google apps on your phone? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.