During its antitrust trial, we learned how Samsung managed to offer Gemini AI for free on its Galaxy smartphones. Someone is paying the bill for it.
Our smartphones never arrive empty. When we turn them on for the first time, we quickly notice that they are already loaded with a whole bunch of more or less useful applications. This is an opportunity for each manufacturer that offers them to highlight their own, but not only that. Sometimes, you find apps from another developer, even when the mobile manufacturer has an alternative. How does this happen? The answer is very simple: money.
Google is known for paying its competitors handsomely to pre-install one or more of its services on their machines. The most famous example is Apple, paid billions to make Google the default search engine on the Safari browser. The same goes for Samsung, which a US judge ruled as a violation of competition laws in 2023. But Google clearly hasn't learned its lesson.
Here's who's paying Samsung to pre-install Gemini AI on its devices
As a new antitrust lawsuit against Google rages in the United States, its vice president of platforms and device partnerships, Peter Fitzgerald, says that it's the company that pays Samsung ““““““” huge sums of money”” every month. Payments for pre-installing Gemini began in January 2025. Planned for 2 years, the agreement guarantees fixed monthly payments for each device concerned, plus a percentage of Google's revenue from ads within the Gemini app.
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The exact amount has not been revealed, but it's easy to imagine that it will quickly reach several billion dollars during the year, if it hasn't already. In any case, it's a safe bet that the practice will not be to the liking of the judge in charge of the current case. However, it is far too early to assume any sanctions, even if there is one. The trial is set to last a long time, not counting the appeals.
Source: Bloomberg
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