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Google has not generally billed its Android apps, but has allowed third-party companies to exploit them for free.
Indeed, the Mountain View company generates some twenty recipes thanks to its search application and its Chrome browser.
Last July, the European Commission fined Google a huge amount after claiming that "illegal restrictions" had been imposed on Android device manufacturers to "consolidate its dominant position in general search. on the Internet".
The European Commission has insisted that the required pre-installation of Google Search and Chrome apps in exchange for the Play Store license needs to be changed.
Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy for the Commission, said: "Today, the mobile internet accounts for more than half of global internet traffic.
"It has changed the lives of millions of Europeans.
"Our case involves three types of Google restrictions on Android device manufacturers and network operators to ensure that traffic on Android devices reaches the Google search engine."
In response to the fine and claims, Sundar Pichai, Google 's CEO, responded by stating that Android had created more choice for users, thus going against the fact that Google' s business was more expensive. argument of the European Commission.
"If you buy an Android phone, you choose one of the two most popular mobile platforms in the world, one that has expanded the choice of phones available around the world.
"The European Commission has made a competition decision against Android and its business model.
"The decision ignores the fact that Android phones are competing with iOS phones, which 89% of respondents to the Commission's own market research have confirmed."
Google has appealed the Commission 's decision but, in the meantime, has presented its future Android changes that "will respect the decision".
Hiroshi Lockheimer, senior vice president of Google for Platforms and Ecosystems, said, "First, we are updating compatibility agreements with mobile device manufacturers, which define how Android is used to develop smartphones and tablets.
"In the future, Android partners who want to distribute Google apps can also build smartphones and tablets that are not compatible or baked for the European Economic Area (EEA)."
In particular, Lockheimer said that manufacturers could "license a Google suite after mobile applications" for a fee.
He went on to add: "Second, device makers will be able to license Google's mobile apps separately from the Google Search App or the Chrome browser.
"Since the pre-installation of Google Search and Chrome as well as our other apps have allowed us to fund the development and free distribution of Android, we will introduce a new fee-based license agreement for smartphones and smartphones. tablets delivered in the EEA.
"Android will remain free and open source.
"Third, we will be offering separate licenses for the Google Search app and Chrome."
Google's statements could lead manufacturers to charge more for their devices to offset the cost of licensing Google's apps.
However, it is currently unclear how much Google will charge for its suite of apps.
It is also possible that device manufacturers want to completely give up this new cost and offer a phone running Android without any Google application.
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