Google pays Samsung an ‘enormous sum’ to install Gemini on Galaxy devices

Google paying tech companies to offer its services on their devices is nothing new. It famously pays Apple billions of dollars to ensure that Google remains the default search engine on its computers, smartphones, and tablets.

The internet search giant has also struck similar deals with Samsung in the past. It's now paying an “enormous sum” of money to Samsung for the Gemini AI app to be pre-installed on Galaxy devices, according to revelations made during a historic antitrust trial between Google and the US Department of Justice.

It was previously revealed during the the Epic Games vs Google lawsuit in November 2023 that Google had paid Samsung $8 billion over four years to pre-install the Google search engine and Play Store on its mobile devices.

The practise continues to this day even though it has “twice been found to violate the law,” according to Bloomberg. Another antitrust ruling in 2024 found that Google's payments to Samsung for ensuring it was the default search engine violated antitrust rulings.

The latest antitrust action against Google concerns its monopoly in online search. The Department of Justice is seeking an order that will force Google to sell the Chrome browser and take additional measures for a more competitive online search environment.

DOJ attorney David Dahlquist said during the trial that strong measures must be imposed against Google to prevent it from using AI products to further extend its online search dominance. He added that Google's search monopoly helps improve its AI products which then funnel users back to its search engine.

Documents shown at the trial reveal that Google is paying Samsung monthly to install the Gemini AI app on its devices with an option to extend this deal further into 2028. While financial terms were not disclosed, Dahlquist explained the monthly payments as an “enormous sum.”

Gemini has taken center stage on Samsung devices following the launch of Galaxy AI with the Galaxy S24 series. Both Google and Samsung have collaborated on several AI features, some of which have remained exclusive on Galaxy devices for some time.

The incredible global footprint of Samsung's devices provides Google with a significant scale to improve its AI services on while Samsung gets paid handsomely. It seems like a win-win, but the outcome of this case could very well threaten the future of such arrangements.