Google has been paying Samsung what’s been described as an “enormous sum of money” every month to ensure that its AI app, Gemini, comes preinstalled on Samsung devices. That’s according to federal court testimony this week in the ongoing antitrust trial against the search giant, as reported by Bloomberg.

Peter Fitzgerald, Google’s VP of Platforms and Device Partnerships testified that the payments began in January 2025, just as Samsung launched its Galaxy S25 series. That’s when Gemini became the default assistant, replacing Samsung’s Bixby when users long-press the power button. 

According to the testimony, the deal is not just a one-off payment. Fitzgerald explained that Google gives Samsung fixed monthly payments and a cut of ad revenue generated through the Gemini app. Google isn’t just paying Samsung for exposure. It’s sharing the ad revenue that comes from that exposure.

Why the DOJ is watching this deal closely

This came out during the DOJ’s antitrust case against Google, alleging that the company has abused its search monopoly by paying major manufacturers to secure default status. 

The Department of Justice argues that Gemini’s growing presence is another example of Google extending its dominance not just in search, but now in AI, and by cutting off competitors through financial muscle.

While the exact figures haven’t been disclosed, previous filings in a separate case showed that Google paid Samsung about $8 billion between 2020 and 2023 to make sure Google Search, the Play Store, and Google Assistant were front and center.

Bloomberg reports that Fitzgerald argued that companies like Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, and Perplexity had all made offers to Samsung to get their own AI tools preinstalled. “We took into consideration what was being offered by competitors,” he said. This means these companies want their AI (like Microsoft's Copilot, Meta's Llama, or OpenAI's ChatGPT) to be the go-to assistant on Samsung phones, replacing or competing with Google's assistant. So, Google knew it had competition and made sure to outbid them. 

However, DOJ lawyer David Dahlquist, said that Google continues to offer these kinds of placement deals, even after the court's ruling. He argued that Google only recently tried to amend its contracts with phone manufacturers. This seems suspicious because it happened just before the trial, possibly to show the court they’re offering more flexible or fairer terms. 

Also, internal slides shown during the hearing indicated that Google had considered requiring device partners like Samsung to preinstall its Gemini AI alongside its Search and Chrome apps. That would have made it even harder for rival AI products to compete fairly.

The payments surfaced during Google’s ongoing antitrust trial 

This is part of an antitrust case about whether Google is using its power unfairly to dominate the AI and search markets. The DOJ is arguing that Google’s contracts and business practices limit competition. Judge Amit Mehta has already ruled that Google’s core search engine practices violate antitrust laws. 

Now, the court is figuring out how to respond. If Google is found guilty, the penalty may include banning default deals, splitting up parts of Google’s business like Chrome, or forcing them to license data. In August 2024, the DOJ said it was exploring various ways to address Google's search monopoly including separating its Chrome browser or the Android operating system from its search engine operations.

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