In an ongoing antitrust case against Google, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has mentioned that it wants Google to sell its Chrome web browser. This could massively affect Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones and tablets (probably in a good way), which currently come with Google Chrome pre-installed.
US Department of Justice wants Google to sell Chrome; this could affect Galaxy phones and tablets
Google currently has a monopoly in the internet search engine market. This means the company can affect how people do things online, from shopping and searching for information to even their political views. So, the US Department of Justice filed an antitrust case against Google in October 2020.
To loosen Google’s stranglehold on the internet search engine market, the US DOJ proposed in November 2024 that it sell off its popular web browser, Google Chrome. The updated proposal was filed last week ahead of the hearing of the case in April 2025.
The government still wants Google to sell Chrome. The proposal said that the Chrome web browser is an “important search access point” and that selling Chrome would “provide an opportunity for a new rival to operate a significant gateway to search the internet, free of Google’s monopoly control.”
It is possible that Google might have to sell Chrome, which means it may not be pre-installed on Android phones and tablets, like the ones from Samsung. If that happens, two web browsers won’t be pre-installed on Galaxy devices. Future devices might come with just Samsung Internet, and consumers would be free to install Chrome or any other web browser they prefer.
While many hate that Samsung ships its own apps, like Bixby, Samsung Health, Samsung Internet, Samsung Notes, and Samsung Wallet, with its Galaxy devices, it is good that it does. If Chrome isn’t pre-installed on Android devices in the future, Samsung has its own web browser to fall back on. And it is fast, feature rich, and extremely customizable.
Google may even be forced to sell the Android operating system
Google has already said it will appeal the underlying decision. In December 2024, Google proposed some changes of its own and said those changes should remedy the situation. However, if those changes don’t suffice, Google could even be forced to sell the Android operating system.
