Google plans to prompt Android users in Europe to choose a web browser and search engine for their phone, giving them an active choice in using an alternative to Google search and its chrome browser. The move follows a fine from EU competition authorities for Google abusing its dominant position in the search market by bundling its own apps with the Android system.
The European Commission fined Google EUR 4.3 billion last July for the anti-competitive practices. These included requiring Android device manufacturers to pre-install the Google Search app and Chrome browser as a condition for licensing Google's app store (the Play Store) and making payments to certain large manufacturers and mobile operators so that they exclusively installed Google Search on their devices, making it near impossible for alternative search engines to operate profitably.
While Google has appealed the competition fine, it has since changed how it licences the Android operating system in order to comply with the EU's decision. Device makers can license Google's Play app store without having to also take Google search apps and the Chrome web browser. Each piece of Google software now comes with its own licence agreement, and manufacturers are free to install other apps as well.
Android users could already install other browsers and search engines, alongside Chrome and Google search. What's new is Google doing more to ensure that Android phone owners know about the wide choice of browsers and search engines available to download to their phones. This will involve asking users of existing and new Android devices in Europe which browser and search apps they would like to use.
Google said the latest changes "demonstrate our continued commitment to operating in an open and principled way".
