Some recently released Samsung TVs are about to get a little less smart. The Korean technology giant has just announced, via a message on its website, that a number of popular television models will soon lose access to certain Google features. That means telly users will no longer be able to summon the useful Google Assistant to search for shows, answer questions and control smart devices such as lights.
“Due to a change in Google’s policy, Google Assistant will no longer be available on Samsung TVs beginning March 1st, 2024,” Samsung confirmed.
It’s a big blow to those who love shouting orders at the screen – something that’s been available via Google since 2020.
When Samsung first announced the launch of this feature, the firm promised that users would quickly access entertainment, get answers on screen, control smart devices, and more using just their voice.
For example, it’s still currently possible to ask Google questions such as “What’s the weather like today?”, “Set the thermostat to 72 degrees” or “Add popcorn to my shopping list” but that will all end early next month.
If you want to know if you’ll be affected by the change, here are all the TVs losing access to Google Assistant from March 1.
• All 2022 Smart TV models
• All 2021 Smart TV models
• 2020 8K and 4K QLED TVs
• 2020 Crystal UHD TVs
• 2020 Lifestyle TVs (Frame, Serif, Terrace, and Sero)
Although Google going is clearly disappointing news, there are still other ways of chatting to your telly.
Most Samsung models come with Samsung’s Bixby assistant built-in and some now offer Amazon’s popular Alexa assistant as well.
“Just like with Bixby, Amazon Alexa is available on select 2020 through 2023 TVs! Once Alexa has been set up, you can control your device’s basic functions, like the volume level or channel, with voice commands. You can even ask Alexa to find certain movies or search for songs via Amazon Music,” Samsung explained.
There is also some better news for telly addicts. Samsung has just launched its 2024 QLED models which are now powered by better AI. That means improved upscaling, less power consumption and bonus features such as AI Motion Enhancer Pro which solves common issues – such as ball distortion – when watching things such as football.
