In recent news, Google is making big changes to Android in India. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has imposed a penalty of 1,337 crore on Google, claiming that the company uses Android to unfairly take advantage and ensure more people use Google services such as search, YouTube, and Gmail. As a result, CCI has demanded changes in Android from Google, and the company has agreed to comply with many of these changes.
The biggest change coming to Android in India is that smartphone manufacturers will now be able to license individual Google apps. This means that they can choose to pre-install only the Google Play Store on their phones and not bundle the entire suite of Google apps. Previously, every new Android smartphone came with a set of pre-installed Google apps such as Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Drive, and more. Now, smartphone makers will have the choice on which apps they want to pre-install on their phones. Additionally, CCI also wants Google to ensure that all of its pre-installed apps can be uninstalled by the user.
Another change is that Google will no longer decide the placement of its apps on phones. Currently, every new Android smartphone has a Google folder on the home screen in the same position. This will change, and users will have more control over the placement of Google apps on their phones.
Android users in India will now have an option to choose their default search engine during the setup process. This option will allow users to choose more privacy-focused search engines or alternative search engines like Bing.
Google is also making changes to how users pay for things like subscriptions, in-app purchases, and games. Currently, when making an in-app purchase, the Google Play Billing System is used, and Google takes a commission of 15-30% from the developer. Starting next month, Google will introduce user choice billing, which will allow developers to use alternative billing systems alongside Google Play’s Billing System. It is unclear if Google will charge a commission for including third-party billing services.
Finally, Google is working on improving Android forks. Android forks are OSs that are built using the open-source code of Android but with their own apps and app stores. Examples of Android forks include Amazon’s Fire OS, which was used on their Fire tablets. The problem with these forks is that the Play Store is not compatible, and not all Android apps work properly. Google is updating the Android compatibility requirements to introduce changes for partners to build non-compatible or fork variants, which should improve compatibility with the Play Store. Additionally, CCI has asked Google to allow third-party app stores on the Play Store, such as the Amazon Appstore and Aptoide, to make it easier for users to install these apps.
Overall, the CCI’s ruling against Google is making big changes to Android in India, which will impact both users and developers. These changes will give users more control over their phones and the apps they use, and provide more options for payment and app stores.
