Samsung smart TV owners who use Google Assistant voice commands to control their televisions and access features are about to lose that capability. Samsung recently updated support documentation to notify customers that Google is discontinuing Google Assistant integration on all compatible Samsung TV models starting on March 1st, 2024.

The change affects a wide range of recent Samsung smart TVs that currently offer Google Assistant support. This includes 2022 and 2021 Samsung TV models, 2020 8K and 4K QLED TVs, 2020 Crystal UHD TVs, and 2020 Lifestyle TV sets such as The Frame, The Serif, The Terrace, and The Sero. Owners of these TVs will have just over two weeks to switch to using Bixby or Amazon Alexa voice control before losing access to the “Hey Google” hot word and Google Assistant actions.

While sudden, the shutdown of Google Assistant on Samsung TVs has hints of being inevitable. Owners of Samsung’s newest 2023 TV models discovered those sets did not support Google Assistant at all, foreshadowing wider issues. Support forums also document long-running Google Assistant glitches and complex workarounds for basic setup steps on older models, suggesting the integration has been on shaky ground.

The change also aligns with signals that Google Assistant itself is undergoing a major transition. Evidence found in the Google search app indicates development of a next-generation Assistant harnessing more advanced AI. Named “Gemini,” the new assistant experience ties into Google’s latest generative language model and may also power Google’s forthcoming Bard search offering. Shutting down Google Assistant integrations that are not upgraded to work with new AI infrastructure helps pave the way for this overhaul.

While disruptive in the short term, the end of Google Assistant on Samsung TVs streamlines Google’s voice assistant strategy. It also gives Samsung an opportunity to promote its Bixby digital assistant as the singular built-in voice control option moving forward. For Samsung TV owners suddenly left scrambling for voice command alternatives, Bixby or Alexa are their only choices unless making the difficult switch to a different smart TV platform altogether.