Rakuten and Taboola Form Device Partnerships

Tech giants are integrating rewards and generative AI directly into popular U.S. smartphone models.

Updated on Oct. 29, 2026 in Consumer Electronics

Rakuten and Taboola Form Device Partnerships

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Do you trust device manufacturers to handle your shopping data when using integrated wallet platforms?

Rakuten and Taboola have established direct partnerships with major device manufacturers to embed services into hardware. These integrations bring cashback rewards to Samsung Wallet and generative AI technology to Motorola lockscreens.

Why it matters

Device manufacturers are increasingly turning to software integrations to generate recurring revenue beyond initial hardware sales. Meanwhile, advertisers are prioritizing these partnerships to gain unmediated access to consumer data and ad inventory.

Motorola is the first smartphone manufacturer to partner with Taboola, utilizing its DeeperDive generative AI technology on the Moto G product line. Samsung Wallet Perks is now available on U.S. Galaxy models, allowing users to earn cashback by linking payment cards.

The players

Rakuten

A Japanese electronic commerce and online retailing company that provides cashback rewards services.

Taboola

A public company that provides a content discovery and native advertising platform for publishers and marketers.

Samsung

A South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate that produces a wide range of consumer electronics including the Galaxy smartphone series.

Motorola

An American telecommunications equipment corporation that manufactures smartphones and is a subsidiary of Lenovo.

The details

Users can access the new cashback rewards by connecting their existing Rakuten accounts to Samsung Wallet. Motorola users interact with the generative AI via a dedicated widget integrated directly into the smartphone lockscreen.

October 28, 2026: Rakuten and Taboola announced their direct partnerships with device manufacturers.

The Tech Race

This move reflects the ongoing industry trend of embedding third-party services directly into platforms like the Samsung Wallet to increase user engagement and monetization. By moving beyond hardware sales, companies are transforming smartphones into persistent gateways for consumer advertising.

Smartphone users can expect new opportunities to earn cashback and interact with generative AI directly from their device's lockscreen. These updates effectively streamline daily shopping and information discovery without requiring additional app downloads.

The takeaway

These partnerships signal a shift where mobile hardware acts as a primary vehicle for software-driven advertising and financial services. Consumers should review their device privacy settings to understand how their interaction with these embedded widgets influences data collection.