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Google has acted anticompetitively in India, the country’s antitrust regulator has determined, with the search giant allegedly using its “huge financial muscle” to force its apps to be preinstalled on Android devices in order to allow access to the store Google play.
In 2019, a complaint was filed with the Indian Competition Commission by two antitrust research associates and a law student, triggering a regulator’s investigation into Google’s practices. Two years later, a 750-page report determined that Google was wrong.
According to the report, seen by ReutersGoogle has made it difficult for device vendors to use alternate versions of Android and used its influence to coerce them to preinstall its apps on their devices.
The regulator said Google’s actions “amounted to imposing unfair conditions on device manufacturers”, in violation of India’s competition law. Play Store policies were also “one-sided, ambiguous, vague, biased and arbitrary.”
In turn, Google has reduced “the ability and incentive of device manufacturers to develop and sell devices running on alternative versions of Android.”
Apple was involved alongside Amazon, Samsung, and 59 other entities that responded to the survey questions. Google submitted at least 24 responses.
Google said in a statement that it was eager to work with the CCO to “show how Android has led to more competition and innovation, not less.”
The report is yet to be considered by senior ICC officials, says a person familiar with it, with Google also expected to be given an opportunity to defend itself before the final order is issued by the regulator. Financial penalties could come into play depending on the final order itself, although Google can still challenge any order in courts nationwide.
The report comes days after South Korea fined Google around $ 177 million for taking advantage of its dominance, capping Android forks and encouraging the installation of its apps.
According to Counterpoint Research, Android is used on around 98% of India’s 520 million smartphones. Despite the relatively poor market coverage, Apple itself has become the target of an antitrust complaint in the country, specifically covering in-app payment policies.
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