Googlebook "Better Together" phone features don't work with Samsung at launch

What happened

Googlebooks require Android 17, but Samsung's Android 17 phones won't work yet. When Google announced the launch window for Googlebooks, it said the laptops were "engineered to work with your Android phone right out of the box." Samsung is an electronics company based in Suwon. Google is an Internet and software company based in Mountain View.

Googlebooks are Google's latest attempt to carve out a piece of the premium laptop market, and tight integration with Android phones is a key part of that effort. For now, Googlebooks will only play nicely with your phone if you have a Pixel.

But as with many things Google, the truth is more convoluted. With a compatible Android 17 phone, you can seamlessly stream apps to your laptop, access files on your phone, mirror notifications, and continue where you left off in certain apps when switching from phone to laptop.

Key facts

• When Google — announced: the launch window for Googlebooks, it said the laptops were "engineered to work with your Android phone right out of the box."