Android Wear is the latest reason Google and Samsung are sparring

Google and Samsung have had a tetchy relationship, to say the least. This despite Samsung being the leading vendor of Android devices in the world, and its Galaxy line being synonymous with the OS in many markets.   Google has in the past taken exception to Samsung’s modifications to Android in TouchWiz and its efforts to release apps that directly replace Google’s own on its popular line of smartphones. We know that Google had asked Samsung to tone down the customisation especially in its Galaxy Tab series, which has the Magazine UX, an experience powered by Flipboard, doing homescreen duties.   Most recently, according to a report in The Information ( paywall ), Google CEO Larry Page and Samsung Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee were involved in a tense meeting in Silicon Valley last week, where the subject of discussion was Samsung’s reliance on Tizen for its smartwatches, in lieu of Android Wear, which Google is heavily promoting.   Samsung does have one Android Wear device in the Gear Live, but its other smartwatches run Tizen , while the original Galaxy Gear is also expected to get a Tizen update in the near future . Samsung has maintained the shift to Tizen is for power-consumption reasons, but with Android Wear such problems are more or less eliminated thanks to dedicated APIs.   According to 9to5Google , the discussion revolved around the same replacement apps in Samsung’s Galaxy line, including some that let users purchase content, that’s also available on Google Play. This obviously eats into Google’s revenue, since any apps sold through Samsung’s app stores will not net the search giant any money.   Tizen has been a particular point of concern for Google , as Samsung has developed the OS on its own and it uses many of the TouchWiz software features we have come to know . With the first Tizen devices hitting shelves this year, Samsung is seen as giving its homegrown OS a push, at the expense of Google. On the other hand, Samsung is known to have grown tired of Google’s recriminations and constant urging to keep Android untouched, when in fact, it’s the Samsung-developed features that have helped the company claim market share lead and in turn helped Android grow.   In recent times, Google has decided to slowly tighten its grip on how the biggest OEMs in the world use Android. Most recently, it has announced plans to make sure the entry-level and low-end Android devices get the latest software through its Android One programme . And it has also put pressure on OEMs to include the word ‘Android’ prominently on the boot screen when the phone is powered up.