Google has come under fire for warning tech influencers that it will terminate its relationship with the brand unless they agree to showcase the new Pixel 9 over competitors in their content

Influencers participating in Team Pixel's influencer program were asked to “acknowledge that they are expected to showcase Google Pixel devices instead of competitors' mobile devices ”9to5First A screenshot of the terms of this year's Team Pixel agreement regarding the new Pixel phones, discovered and confirmed, was shared on X Google announced its latest flagship lineup on Tuesday, the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, 9 Pro XL, and 9 Pro Fold

“Please note that if any other brand appears to be preferred over Pixel, we will need to cease our relationship with that brand and its creators,” the message continues

These provisions were only added in the latest update to the program's terms and conditions: for the Pixel 8 and earlier models, influencers were free to share their candid thoughts about those Pixel devices as long as they included the #giftfromgoogle hashtag in their posts They were able to do so