Google will charge OEMs for pre-loading its GApps

20 October 2018
This could result in a small increase in Android smartphone prices in Europe.

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Anonymous, 21 Oct 2018Google isn't being punished for its superiority. Google i... moreU are a joke!
U always have a choice to not use Google products.
EU just found a way to make easy money off a private company & I hope it'll come back to bite them later

    Anonymous, 21 Oct 2018I think you have to do some research about, what google did... moreYeah they made it one route or the other to OEMs but never both. At the end of the day nobody expects to buy an iPhone without iTunes and the full complement of apple apps pre installed. If its been such a hardship for app developers having to play second fiddle to Googles homegrown apps why haven't they invested in other platforms like blackberry and windows?

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • srQ
      • 21 Oct 2018

      FullmetalJun, 21 Oct 2018You're wrong! Android actually lets u install everything f... moreGoogle isn't being punished for its superiority.
      Google is being fined for pushing out competitors. Yes, you scored A+, then keep it that way, don't mess with other people's work. If you throw an ink to your competitors paper, you should be disqualified.

      If Google Search and Chrome are so good, then people can download and install from play store, I don't see need to force preinstall and bloat phone, not talking about making shady deals. These deals are here to make sure that google Search and Chrome stay in top.

      Why make such deals if you aren't afraid of competition.

      Yes , many of users will disable them, but many (most) of them will not. How many people used internet explorer , because it was default . Google is just exploiting the ignorance of such people for its own benefit and detriment to competitors.

      Another part of these deals are , that OEM's can use forked versions of Android in their devices, not a single phone ever. So google keeps the versions , where he has no control , out of public scene.

      If that doesn't qualify for anti-competitive behavior , then what is? Hiring killers or direct lawsuits against competitors ? Just wait some other OEM to make non-android Phone.

      Google isn't saint, stop defending them. In the end , monopoly will hurt you, end user and by more than you can actually imagine.

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        • Anonymous
        • v3B
        • 21 Oct 2018

        sumdumguy, 21 Oct 2018You're wrong. EU is not fining Google for anything it's not... moreYou talk as though Google is some illegal company that has been breaking laws and rules to reach its dominance in the market.

        Pfft, get real.

        EU fined Google for being too good at their business, which is just total BS.

          sumdumguy, 21 Oct 2018You're wrong. EU is not fining Google for anything it's not... moreYou're wrong!
          Android actually lets u install everything from anywhere at your own risk. People who don't have play store can install from FDroid or install any apk from online sites.
          Google earned this advantage by being the best at searching. This isn't Monopoly.
          It's like suspending the brilliant A+ scorer of the class because the rest can't score above a C

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            • sumdumguy
            • nx4
            • 21 Oct 2018

            FullmetalJun, 21 Oct 2018EU is bs & greedy! The alternatives to Gapps are just b... moreYou're wrong. EU is not fining Google for anything it's not fined Microsoft Internet Explorer for, ten years ago. If you think they learned by their example, think again. If you have 85% market share, basically a monopoly, you have accept some form of regulation.

            You may argue that unlike Windows, Android's free. Counterpoint is that on Windows you can install apps from anywhere whereas on Android, you can't. So if your phone's a brick without Play Store, you can't charge manufacturers for it. Hence the fine.

            PS: I am a Google fanboi, Pixel owner and whatnot but I think that Google's behavior in the current situation - making customers pay for their greedy defiance - is just disgusting.

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              • Anonymous
              • srQ
              • 21 Oct 2018

              JohnW1981, 21 Oct 2018It's Googles operating system why shouldn't it come bundled... moreI think you have to do some research about, what google did to make sure, forked android versions didn't get any adoption.

                Anonymous, 21 Oct 2018Are you aware that, google was actually forcing all the GAp... moreIt's Googles operating system why shouldn't it come bundled with Google apps? Any manufacturer who doesn't like the Google way is free to create a forked android version but they don't.

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                  • Anonymous
                  • 397
                  • 21 Oct 2018

                  Anonymous, 21 Oct 2018As always, old farts coming in to ruin the young peoples' n... moreAs a young person, this is something that is very difficult for you to understand: it is not about you.

                  It is about protecting a market of 500 million consumers from being wide open for American corporate interests, whether young, dumb people like it or not.

                  Fortunately, the average cost will not be much higher, and you will be free to install as much Google spyware to help them run your life for you.

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                    • Anonymous
                    • Mx@
                    • 21 Oct 2018

                    Anonymous, 21 Oct 2018Are you aware that, google was actually forcing all the GAp... moreso what's the alternative? I want my Apps from trusted sources and at least monitored. And as far as data mining goes, everyone does it. At least google is offering its services for free in exchange whereas others are charging you for it (e.g. Apple)

                    I do NOT want untrusted market filled with hacked/backdoor isntalling app markets like Chinese vendors do. (again quick web serach will reveal who these manufacturers are) and Im sure you know the danger of installing apps from unkown sources.

                    Building an alternative sources are again a big problem because until the become a certain size, it is not profitable for both app developers (market/target audience size as well as cost of maintening multiple app markets) and the distribution. Also, until distributor becomes a large size, then people have problem finding the app they need/want between so many different vendors. Same goes for web search (which again needs a large enough database/web search connection to make it work...i mean look at Bing and what a failure that was).

                    It's well and good that google charges. That's fine. But ultimately that cost will go to consumers. The reason for all this is EU regulation, and they are literally doing this without any alternative in mind. So called anti-competitive law that is meant to be designed to protect consumer interest is doing exactly the opposite.

                    instead f flat out fine, they should have made google present mutiple app outlets by competitions, as well as other websearch/web browser instead in a similar way that Windows do when you first install it.

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                      • Anonymous
                      • v3B
                      • 21 Oct 2018

                      As always, old farts coming in to ruin the young peoples' nice things

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                        • Anonymous
                        • v3B
                        • 21 Oct 2018

                        Lol typical EU; One gigantic government filled with thousands of useless paper pusher staff, know nothing about technology (probably still using windows 97 on their government systems) contributing nothing to society, but living off the people's taxes for the wages and keep fining/adding new rules & regulations to protect itself.

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                          • DaniD
                          • srr
                          • 21 Oct 2018

                          Anonymous, 21 Oct 2018Are you aware that, google was actually forcing all the GAp... moreThan you're the one who should pay and not me! I'm totally fine with the way it is now! I prefer to go and buy a dinner for my girlfriend for that extra $40!

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                            • Anonymous
                            • 3DR
                            • 21 Oct 2018

                            And there you have it, the excuse manufacturers will use to give you lower resolution screens while charging you more...

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                              • Anonymous
                              • y$g
                              • 21 Oct 2018

                              its must be painful for end users

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                                • Anonymous
                                • pdH
                                • 21 Oct 2018

                                Great, 20 Oct 2018Great, i hope other app stores get popular, i think google ... moreSteam is 30% Apple store is 30% google store is 30%... it seems to be standard.

                                  EU is bs & greedy! The alternatives to Gapps are just bad. Blame EU, not Google. EU basically stole that money from Google by giving a nonsense verdict

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                                    • Anonymous
                                    • GX3
                                    • 21 Oct 2018

                                    Kiyasuriin, 20 Oct 2018Hm... good point. but "IGNORING" is still plausible for 100... moreYes, but that's not the point. Google is using their monopoly in one field to gain stronghold in another. The same way Google Search, YouTube etc. continually nag people to install Chrome. Chrome's market dominance allows them to arm twist web standards and that's a problem. They can also get away with anti-competitive practices like serving much older version of Google Search to Firefox for Android ( which works flawlessly if you change UA string to that of Chrome).

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • srQ
                                      • 21 Oct 2018

                                      Are you aware that, google was actually forcing all the GApps suite to manufacturers.
                                      Even if they wanted to use only some of them , they had to preinstall all.
                                      EU did nothing wrong, now OEM's and users have a choice.
                                      With a price, but still a choice instead of having none in past.

                                      And no, "Do not use" isn't an answer, I don't want to be in my phone in a first place.
                                      And since many times consumers stick to default apps/settings this is a abuse of power from google, nothing less.

                                        Atleast make Playstore free and its stupid like gsmarena said manufacturers will only pre load play services and users will have to download other apps from else where so Google earns nothing

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