Samsung has announced at the electronics trade fair CES 2019 that its newest Samsung TVs will support the Google Assistant and Alexa. However, there are some hooks and eyes to the support for Google’s smart voice assistant.
Samsung TVs receive Google Assistant support
The smart TVs that Samsung releases in 2019 support more smart assistants than just Bixby. The South Korean manufacturer has announced that users will soon be able to operate Samsung TVs via the Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. You can think of voice commands for turning the TV on or off, adjusting the volume or starting up the Netflix app, for example.
Unfortunately, Google Assistant support does not go as deep as you would like. So you can not access the Google Assistant via the remote control of your Samsung TV, but this goes via a Google Home or Home Mini. That means that you have to have such a device in the house to use the feature. Only Bixby, Samsung’s own assistant, can help you when you give a voice command via the remote control. The Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa also do not run on the TVs but work via the connected smart speaker.
The Google Assistant and Alexa support will only come to Samsung TVs that will be released in 2019. However, spokespersons from Samsung have indicated that it is possible that the feature will later be brought to older models via a software update.
AirPlay and iTunes
In addition, both Apple’s AirPlay support and iTunes come to Samsung TVs. These concerns models from 2018 and 2019, where a software update ensures that older televisions get the functions. The iTunes support means that it is possible to buy or rent movies from iTunes and watch them directly on a Samsung TV.
AirPlay support allows you to send images and music from an Apple device to the television wirelessly. On our sister site iPhone you can read more about AirPlay and iTunes for Samsung TVs.