Google opening Android system to settle anti-trust case with Russia

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Published: 12:36am, 18 Apr 2017

Alphabet Inc’s Google will open up its popular Android mobile operating system to rival search engines in Russia as part of a deal to settle a two-year dispute with Russian competition authorities.

The deal sets a new precedent for the tech giant, which faces multiple complaints worldwide that it is abusing its dominant position by imposing restrictions on manufacturers of Android-based devices in order to protect its share of the online search market.

Russia’s competition watchdog, FAS, ruled in 2015 that Google was breaking the law by requiring the pre-installation of applications, including its own search tool, on mobile devices using Android, following a complaint by Russia’s Yandex .

Google will no longer demand exclusivity of its applications on Android-based devices in Russia and will not restrict the pre-installation of rival search engines and other applications, as part of a deal with FAS, the regulator said on Monday.

Alexei Dotsenko, deputy head of Russian anti-monopoly watchdog FAS, speaks during a news conference, dedicated to the case of FAS and Alphabet Inc's Google over the Android operating system, in Moscow, Russia. Photo: Reuters

It will also develop a tool allowing users to choose a default search engine on their Android devices.