Google launched its new Pixel 9 telephone lineup final week, however some reviewers say they confronted an sudden “Model Love” requirement: They could not place the Pixel telephones subsequent to rivals, like iPhones, and in the event that they appeared to desire different manufacturers, Google would cease giving them early entry to overview models.
The requirement, shared on social media on Friday and over the weekend, utilized to creators who’re part of Workforce Pixel, a program that provides content material creators free units in trade for evaluations.
Now, Google says the necessities had been an error.
“#TeamPixel is a definite program, separate from our press and creator evaluations packages,” Google communications supervisor Kayla Geier advised The Verge on Friday. “The aim of #TeamPixel is to get Pixel units into the fingers of content material creators, not press and tech reviewers. We missed the mark with this new language that appeared within the #TeamPixel kind yesterday, and it has been eliminated.”
Google Pixel 9 smartphone. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg through Getty Photographs
In 2021, Google requested Workforce Pixel to put in writing “truthful, correct” evaluations with “no particular expectations,” however this yr’s program was extra express about requiring content material creators to favor Google. In the event that they did not comply, they might lose early entry to merchandise, a consequence that might straight impression their enterprise.
“You anticipated to function the Google Pixel system instead of any competitor cellular units,” the phrases acknowledged. “Please be aware that if it seems different manufacturers are being most popular over the Pixel, we might want to stop the connection between the model and the creator.”
Associated: The FTC Is Banning Companies From Writing, Shopping for Their Personal Opinions and Bot Followers
The leaked phrases name the authenticity of Pixel telephone evaluations into query — at a time when the federal authorities is cracking down on faux evaluations.
The Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) banned shopping for or promoting optimistic or damaging evaluations in a closing rule revealed final week. The rule, which matches into impact in October, additionally prohibits faux AI evaluations.
The FTC will quickly search penalties of as much as $51,744 for each a part of the rule a enterprise violates.
Associated: Ex-Google CEO Says the Firm Fell Behind AI Rivals Due to Distant Work. Now He is Taking It Again.
“Google did what each different tech firm at the back of their heads needs they may do, which is assure some kind of optimistic press protection at launch and preseed units to individuals who will try this for them,” tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, who has over 19 million YouTube subscribers, acknowledged.
From the skin of #TeamPixel, wanting in: pic.twitter.com/a3BWeEqQvv
— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) August 16, 2024