If you own one of the best Samsung TVs and regularly use Google Meet to keep in touch with loved ones or colleagues, then you’ll need to find an alternative solution in the coming weeks.
SamMobile reports that Google Meet, the tech giant’s video conferencing app, will be retired on Samsung Smart TVs in March 2024, which could impact millions of users. This move follows the previous removal of the Google Play Movies app from Samsung TVs a few years ago. As well as the next one departure of Google Assistant on Samsung TVs on March 1, 2024.
Using Google Meet on Samsung TVs has always been a simple process that simply involves connecting a webcam to the TV. You can then make and receive video calls directly from your television, similar to how you would use a tablet, phone or computer for the same. The convenience of videoconferencing on a big screen made Google Meet a very popular option for both personal and professional purposes.
Google Meet, originally known as Google Duo, debuted on Samsung Smart TVs in October 2022 and was also included in the 2023 TV models, along with Samsung’s Tizen smart monitors (the 7000 series and above). However, Samsung’s smart monitors and TVs launched so far in 2024 do not come equipped with Google’s video calling app, signaling an impending change.
This removal comes just a year and a half after the app’s introduction to Samsung’s screens. According to reports from users, the service will stop working or disappear on March 9, 2024. Samsung has also removed its support page for Google Meet, further confirming the discontinuation of the app.
Is Google holding Tizen back from focusing on Android/Google TV?
The big question is: was this a Samsung move or a Google move?
This development may not necessarily reflect Samsung’s decision to rid its Tizen platform of Google services, but could instead reflect Google’s intentions to prioritize its own ecosystems.
The discontinuation of Google Meet, along with the impending departure of Google Assistant on March 1, 2024, has raised questions about Google’s future strategy on Samsung’s Tizen platform.
It’s hard to know for sure as there has been no official announcement confirming this latest move, but these choices indicate a shift by Google to consolidate its efforts and focus more on its own platforms, namely Android and Google TV, instead of supporting its services on the Internet. third-party platforms, such as Samsung’s Tizen.
It would make sense that Google would want to optimize its resources and focus on platforms where it can exert more control and integration. But the upshot for Samsung TV users who currently rely on Google Meet is that they won’t have long to explore alternative video conferencing solutions.