Samsung has announced that it has started rolling out Google Assistant to its 2020 smart TV lineup in France, Germany, Italy, and the UK. Its smart TVs in Brazil, India, South Korea, and Spain will get access to Google's AI-powered digital voice assistant by the end of November 2020. Six more countries will get the Google Assistant functionality by the end of this year.
Google Assistant brings enhanced controls and discoverability to Samsung smart TVs, including 4K and 8K QLED TVs, Crystal UHD TVs, The Frame, The Serif, The Sero, and The Terrace. Using Google Assistant, users can browse channels, control compatible smart home devices, control volume, get answers to their questions, open apps, set the alarm, and much more.
Users can also get the latest sports scores, weather forecast, and access Google services, including Google Calendar, Google Maps, and Google Photos. Google Assistant and Google Home compatible smart home devices such as smart lights and thermostats can also be controlled using voice commands.
Seline Han, Vice President of Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics, said, “The use of voice assistants on our Smart TVs has grown exponentially since Bixby’s launch in 2018. With Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa now supported, we are inviting our consumers to ask even more of their Smart TVs.”
While Bixby has been a part of Samsung's smart TVs experience for a couple of years, the South Korean tech giant started offering Amazon's Alexa across its smart TVs earlier this year. Currently, Alexa is available on Samsung smart TVs in fourteen countries across the globe. Users can choose Alexa, Bixby, or Google Assistant to be their default voice assistant.
