Googlebook Laptops Ship Without 'Better Together' Support for Samsung Phones

The problem surfaced in a Reddit megathread, where one user said they returned a Googlebook they had bought because it would not work with their Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 running Android 17. Another user in the thread asked whether the new laptop OS was intended to work only with Pixel devices.

Google's Mishaal Rahman replied in that thread and confirmed that Samsung phones are not supported at present. "Support for Better Together features will be rolling out across all Android 17-supported Samsung devices over the coming weeks. Sorry for the inconvenience," Rahman wrote.

Googlebooks are positioned as laptops that work closely with Android phones, and the initial release was expected to deliver that pairing out of the box. Samsung is the largest Android smartphone manufacturer, which makes the omission significant for early buyers.

Prices for the laptops range from $900 to $1,300. A user on Reddit who identified as a buyer called the situation unacceptable for devices and an operating system that were supposed to be ready for release, and said the limitation was not disclosed until after people had purchased them, aside from mentions in footnotes. The user added that buyers expected the machines to work as advertised straight out of the box.

The timing has drawn criticism because the support is being rolled out after the Googlebooks went on sale rather than at launch. The article notes that Google could reasonably have anticipated that a large share of first buyers would be Samsung phone users.

For now, Samsung owners weighing a purchase may want to wait until the cross-device features are officially supported. Until then, they would have a new laptop that lacks many of the conveniences it is marketed on, according to the report.