❗️Google still claimed to be blocking search rivals on Android, despite Europe’s antitrust action.
• After a record-breaking $5 Billion Fine for Android Antitrust violations, google changed its regional compatibility agreement. Google’s new European licensing terms for Android appear to be piling additional pressure on OEMs not to switch even for more experimental and/or regional device launches, according to privacy-focused search engine Qwant (French startup, launched its non-tracking search offering back in 2013).Google’s licensing changes have essentially blocked the launch of an Android device with Qwant search rather than Google as the default.
• “We are very near to one or two deals to be by default or in the list of search engines in some Android cell phone made by a very large Asian manufacturer… Just for Europe, and just for some countries in Europe but we are talking about 10 million or 20 million of cell phones,” says co-founder Leandri. “And when we have won the bid against Google in October then Google start to say that in Europe you have to pay $40 for Android. So now if you install Qwant you have to pay $40 and if you install Google they give you some cash.”
• “Before it was impossible to bid against Google because Google was blocking everything. Now you can but now the solution of Google is you have to pay $40 if you don’t install Google by default with Chrome just on the bar. You know the bar that is fixed on Android. And this is again an abuse of their dominant position,” he adds. “Because if I want, for example, 10 million smartphones, the guy has to pay $400M to Google. Do you really think they will pay $400M to Google just to install Qwant?”
🌐 Read
🚀 Adopt Privacy on Android
🌐 Go @NoGapps
• After a record-breaking $5 Billion Fine for Android Antitrust violations, google changed its regional compatibility agreement. Google’s new European licensing terms for Android appear to be piling additional pressure on OEMs not to switch even for more experimental and/or regional device launches, according to privacy-focused search engine Qwant (French startup, launched its non-tracking search offering back in 2013).Google’s licensing changes have essentially blocked the launch of an Android device with Qwant search rather than Google as the default.
• “We are very near to one or two deals to be by default or in the list of search engines in some Android cell phone made by a very large Asian manufacturer… Just for Europe, and just for some countries in Europe but we are talking about 10 million or 20 million of cell phones,” says co-founder Leandri. “And when we have won the bid against Google in October then Google start to say that in Europe you have to pay $40 for Android. So now if you install Qwant you have to pay $40 and if you install Google they give you some cash.”
• “Before it was impossible to bid against Google because Google was blocking everything. Now you can but now the solution of Google is you have to pay $40 if you don’t install Google by default with Chrome just on the bar. You know the bar that is fixed on Android. And this is again an abuse of their dominant position,” he adds. “Because if I want, for example, 10 million smartphones, the guy has to pay $400M to Google. Do you really think they will pay $400M to Google just to install Qwant?”
🌐 Read
🚀 Adopt Privacy on Android
🌐 Go @NoGapps