Google to let search rivals compete for free to be default on Android to appease European regulators
- Google said in 2019 that companies could pay to be shown on a search engine selection screen on Android, leading the European Commission to voice concerns
- Google is introducing the option after the EU fined the tech giant US$5.16 billion in 2018 for using Android to cement its dominance in search
Google has bowed to pressure from rivals and will let them compete for free to be the default search engines on Android devices in Europe, widening a pledge to EU antitrust regulators two years ago.
The move by the world’s most popular internet search engine comes as the 27-country bloc considers rules that could be introduced next year to force Google, Amazon, Apple and Facebook to ensure a level playing field for competitors.
Google’s Android mobile operating system runs on about four-fifths of the world’s smartphones. The US tech giant said in 2019 that rivals would have to pay via an auction for appearing on a choice screen on new Android devices in Europe from which users select their preferred search engine.
Google’s change of heart followed a 4.24 billion euro (US$5.16 billion) fine handed out by the European Commission, the EU antitrust authority, in 2018 for unfairly using Android to cement the dominance of its search engine.
“We are now making some final changes to the Choice Screen including making participation free for eligible search providers. We will also be increasing the number of search providers shown on the screen,” Google director Oliver Bethell wrote in a blog post on Tuesday.
The changes will come into effect in September, the blog added.