Samsung has decided to keep Google as its default search engine, ending speculation that it would switch to Microsoft’s Bing. The Wall Street Journal reported that the world’s largest smartphone maker has suspended its internal review and is no longer considering a switch due to concerns over how the market would perceive it and the impact on its business relations with Google.
The potential switch had raised questions about a similar, much larger $20 billion deal with Apple. It would have also been a major vote of confidence for Bing, as Microsoft has been working to grow its search engine.
Google remains the dominant search engine with over 90% market share in the US and globally. Bing’s current global market share is less than 3%. Following the report, shares of Google are trading 0.8% higher, while Microsoft is losing 0.4%.