Google May Have To Make Major Changes To Android in Response To a Forthcoming Fine in Europe (washingtonpost.com)

Google could face a new record penalty this month from European regulators for forcing its search and Web-browsing tools on the makers of Android-equipped smartphones and other devices, potentially resulting in major changes to the world's most widely deployed mobile operating system. From a report: The punishment from Margrethe Vestager, the European Union's competition chief, is expected to include a fine raging into the billions of dollars, according to people familiar with her thinking, marking the second time in as many years that the region's antitrust authorities have found that Google threatens corporate rivals and consumers. At the heart of the E.U.'s looming decision are Google's policies that pressure smartphone and tablet manufacturers that use Google's Android operating system to pre-install the tech giant's own apps. In the E.U.'s eyes, device makers such as HTC and Samsung face an anti-competitive choice: Set Google Search as the default search service and offer Google's Chrome browser, or lose access to Android's popular app store. Lacking that portal, owners of Android smartphones or tablets can't easily download games or other apps -- or services from Google's competitors offered by third-party developers.

Comments

Re:So how much

[FaxeTheCat]

Nothing.

The EU are trying to avoid a Microsoft Windows situation on mobile phones.

With Android being the only realistic OS available outside of Apple, it seems like a smart move to avoid another monopoly.

Re:No one is forcing you to use Chrome!

[Piata]

Because Android keeps forcing you to use Chrome despite installing Firefox and making it the default browser. Even if you do get Firefox to be the default browser everywhere on every app, Google intentionally makes certain aspects Chrome only. Locked in experiences in general need to be curtailed.

Re: So how much

[Artem S. Tashkinov]

Facts please.

I have a 32GB Android phone and Google apps consume less than 500MB of space (including updates which still leave built-in apk files intact - that's the only way to provide safe and secure factory reset and revert to the original apps if their new versions misbehave).

Re: So how much

[Khyber]

"I have a 32GB Android phone and Google apps consume less than 500MB of space"

You lying sack of shit.

Fact #1: GOOGLE PLAY SERVICES ALONE is 538 MB.
Fact #2: Chrome is 203 MB.
Fact #3: "Google" itself is 214 MB.
Fact #4: Google Maps is 181 MB.

With 4 facts we're more than double your '500MB' bullshit claim. All that took was sorting by fucking size in the app manager.

Fact #5: You have no fucking clue what you're talking about.