As of late – especially with Samsung, Google has been more prominently advertising the Android ecosystem and what it can do. The latest example is an Amazon store/brand page (in the US) called “Devices with Google.”
This differs from the Made by Google (Pixel, Nest, Chromecast, etc.) storefront in that it highlights just Android phones from different partners. A cover shows Google Duo with its foldable optimizations, YouTube, and Google Maps Live View.
Work, play, and connect right out of the box.
Get your favorite Google apps when you shop your favorite phones.
Curiously, the word “Android” is never mentioned on this Amazon store page with the focus being on the Google apps and services that run atop the mobile OS. The Android brand also does not appear in the “Google | Samsung” ads, but the ads were promoted on Android’s social channels.
There are three tentpoles with Google noting the “built-in” nature. For Search, there’s fast lookup through the homepage bar with voice queries, notably “Google AR” and not “Google Lens,” and Assistant.
“Google Apps built-in” covers Chrome and the Google Password Manager, Google Pay, and Gmail as part of Workspace. Lastly, Google Security is about Play Protect, Kids Space (and maybe Family Link), and Google Account settings
Moving on from the Amazon storefront’s Home tab, Devices with Google highlights four OEMs and has a rather interesting description for each:
OnePlus: The best of Google security meets extra fast processing power.
Matching security with performance is a bit generic, while “processing power” is pretty the same across the board with flagships at this point.
- Highlighted phones: OnePlus 9, 9 Pro, 10 Pro, Nord N20, N200.
Samsung: The best of Google personalization meets striking design.
A possible Material You reference with clear hardware design emphasize .
- Highlighted phones: S21 FE, S22, S22+, S22 Ultra, Flip 3, Fold 3, A12, A13, A53
Motorola: The best of Google simplicity meets uninterrupted performance.
Alluding to the mostly stock nature on Moto devices.
- Highlighted phones: Razr 5G, Moto G Stylus 5G, G Pure, G Power, G Play, One 5G Ace, Edge, Edge +
Pixel: The helpful Pixel phones by Google.
“Helpful” is definitely the branding Made by Google uses to describe itself
- Highlighted phones: Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.
9to5Google’s Take
We first came across Google’s store page as a “Sponsored” banner above a list of products after searching on Amazon. “Shop Google Mobile Services” was the first item in the carousel.
Google feeling the need to advertise in this manner is rather interesting. It wants to get in front of people buying Android phones and making sure they choose ones with Play services. That’s not the biggest issue stateside, but conditions could always change in the future and abroad.
Meanwhile, it’s very unlikely that the lack of the “Android” name anywhere is a reflection of Google losing commitment to the underlying development of the mobile OS, but it might represent a branding shift that focuses on the first-party services that Google explicitly provides.
