Samsung weighs dropping Bixby as Google dangles new mobile apps deal

OAKLAND, Calif./SEOUL : Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is considering dropping its Bixby virtual assistant and Galaxy Apps Store from its mobile devices as part of a new global revenue-sharing deal with Alphabet Inc’s Google, according to correspondence seen by Reuters on Tuesday.

Google has tried for years to get Samsung, the world’s leading mobile device maker by units sold, to drop its own services and give greater prominence to Google’s search, Assistant and Play Store apps, according to a person previously involved in the relationship.

The search giant, whose Android software powers phones from Samsung and dozens of other companies, sometimes as an incentive gives manufacturers a portion of ad revenue generated from Google apps featured on their devices.

But Samsung has clung to efforts to promote its own apps, from which it can collect all the revenue, despite years of glitches and tepid user interest.