Samsung had one more thing to unveil at its Unpacked event in New York earlier today after confirming everything we already knew about the Galaxy Note 9, taking the wraps off a new smartwatch with a simplified name, and presenting teasing its long overdue Bixby-controlled answer to Apple’s HomePod.
The partnership announcement that wrapped up the press conference was obviously not as exciting as the headlining Note 9 presentation (with the S Pen info and all that), but it’s still a pretty big deal, further positioning Samsung as a direct “ecosystem” rival for Apple.
Samsung and Spotify’s union seems like the textbook definition of a win-win situation, as the former company needs something big and smooth to challenge the HomePod’s tight Apple Music integration, while Spotify wants to reach a wider audience.
To that end, the music streaming platform will be aggressively promoted and seamlessly connected across all of Samsung’s product categories, from smartphones to TVs, tablets, smartwatches, and of course, smart speakers.
The two companies aim to make it easy for a user to “discover” the Spotify app after buying a new Galaxy phone right from the Samsung Smart Switch setup process. Sometime “soon”, smart TVs will gain the option to play Spotify content through the SmartThings app, and after linking your account between devices, they will become “aware of your location” and help you “effortlessly transition” from your handset to your TV and smart speaker.
Last but not least, asking Bixby for music will prompt the virtual assistant to go to Spotify even if you’re not a subscriber yet. That could get annoying fast if you prefer a different music streaming service, but apparently, you can’t have it all.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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