The European Commission fined Google $5 billion due to what the commission considered antitrust violations due to the company requiring Google Search and Chrome to be installed on Android devices that use the Google app suite.
Google is appealing this decision, but in the meantime it is enacting new rules to comply with it. The new rules will unfortunately be new fees for building Google-ified Android devices.
Since the revenue from including Search and Chrome helped fund development for Android, the exclusion of those two apps means that Google will now be charging a licensing fee for the Google app suite (which includes the Play Store and other Google services that define most Android devices). Google Search and Chrome will now be licensed (for free) as a separate and optional package. The company is also allowing the Google app suite to be installed on forked versions of Android in Europe.
Realistically, this probably won’t change much for most Android devices. The lack of Google Search and Chrome on some devices in Europe aren’t a big deal, since most people will just switch to Google Search anyway. Forked devices with the Play Store may be more interesting though.
These new rules will take effect on October 29. Things may change in the future as the company appeals the decision but for now manufacturers will have to pay a little extra to use the Play Store.
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