Google on Wednesday said it would allow device makers in India to license their custom apps for pre-installation and let users choose their default search engine, and announced sweeping changes to how its Android system works.
The move comes after the country’s Supreme Court confirmed strict antitrust guidelines last week, rejection a Google challenge against a Competition Commission of India Ruling that the company abused its market position and ordered it to change the way it markets itss Android system in an important growth market.
“Implementing these changes across the ecosystem will be a complex process and will require significant work on our end and, in many cases, significant efforts from partners, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and developers,” Google said in a blog entry.
Google was concerned about India’s decision as the moves are seen as more far-reaching than those imposed on Android in the European Commission’s landmark 2018 ruling.
About 97 percent of India’s 600 million smartphones run on Android, while the system accounts for 75 percent of Europe’s 550 million smartphones, according to Counterpoint Research estimates.
The IHK reigns in October that Alphabet-owned Google was exploiting its Android dominance and asking it to lift restrictions on device manufacturers, including those related to pre-installing apps and ensuring exclusivity of its search. Google was also fined US$161 million (approx. Rs.1,300 billion).
In the hope of being able to block the implementation of the IHK guidelines, Google approached the Supreme Court, which warns that the growth of its Android ecosystem will stall. It said it would be forced to change agreements with more than 1,100 device makers and thousands of app developers when the guidelines go into effect.
But the Supreme Court didn’t agree to block the guidelines, as Google wanted. The court had also said a lower court — where Google first challenged the Android policies — can still hear the company’s appeal and has until March 31 to rule.
“We continue to respectfully appeal certain aspects of CCI’s decisions,” Google said.
The US search giant also said it is updating the Android compatibility requirements to introduce changes for partners to create non-compatible variants of Android.
In Europe, Google has been fined for imposing what the commission called unlawful restrictions on Android handset makers. Google was still challenging the record US$4.3 billion (roughly Rs. 35,100) fine in the case.
