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Future Samsung phones could share what you type with other apps

Future Samsung phones could share what you type with other apps

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'Context' would reportedly share typing, sensor data, and app use

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Samsung is said to be considering letting app developers know a whole lot more detail about what individual users do with their phones. According to The Information, Samsung has been developing a service called Context that would collect what a person types, what apps they use, and what data their phone's sensors pick up, and then allow developers to tap into that pool of data to enrich their apps. The Information suggests that by using Context a video service might be able to automatically display sports videos to someone who frequently searches for sports.

Samsung and Google met right before the Motorola sale

The service has reportedly been delayed by disagreements over whether it would actually help Samsung sell more smartphones, and it's unclear if it will ever launch. The Information also backs up a report from Recode regarding a meeting between Samsung and Google to discuss the future of Android. At the meeting, the companies reportedly discussed putting limits on the extent to which Samsung and other device manufacturers would customize Android. Neither publication is clear on the outcome of this discussion, but The Information adds one interesting detail: the meeting occurred just a day before Google announced its sale of Motorola.

Without having a large hand in hardware any more, Google may be increasingly concerned about how its partners shape Android without it. We'll likely see the next iteration of Samsung's software later this month, but there have been no signs yet that it'll be taking Google's suggestions into account.