Android Users Can Finally Use Alternate Search And Payment Methods... But Only In India

3 minute read

Android Users Can Finally Use Alternate Search And Payment Methods... But Only In India

Android users in India will soon have a bit more search power compared to the default search engine.

Thanks to the court's ruling, Android users in India will soon have more control over their devices. Starting next month, Android owners in India will be able to opt for a payment system other than the Play Store for in-app payments and smartphone purchases. Google allows Indian users to choose a different search engine as their default right when setting up a new device, which could have implications for future EU rules.

The move follows a ruling by India's Supreme Court last week. The case began late last year when the Competition Commission of India (CCI) fined Google $161 million for imposing restrictions on its manufacturing partners. Google tried to challenge the order, arguing that the action would end the Android ecosystem and that "no other jurisdiction needs such a drastic change."

Google lost this battle. Indian Android users can now choose their default search engine on the home settings screen for both Android smartphones and tablets. Additionally, you can choose another payment service for apps and games to bypass Google Pay, although developers still offer the option to use Google Play.

ALSO READ:How To Make Android More Child Friendly

Google does not need to install its own apps in order to be licensed to use the Android operating system. From now on, device manufacturers in India will have permission to pre-install "personal Google apps" instead of bundling them. Google is also updating Android compatibility requirements for OEMs to "create incompatible or broken versions."

Google still plans to appeal "certain Chamber of Commerce decisions," though it's not happy. From the blog.

Making these changes to the ecosystem will be a complex process and will require significant work on our part and, in most cases, significant effort from partners, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and developers.

India is one of the major markets for the Android platform, so it will be interesting to see how users in the country react to this rule. Especially when users can buy apps and other in-app purchases through the Play Store, where Google takes 30% of every transaction, or through other payment methods like JIO Money, Paytm or even . Amazon Pay is available in India.

If this sounds familiar, it's because Google has run into trouble trying to keep deals through the Play Store. Remember the Fortnite fiasco between Epic Games and Google (and Apple)? Epic is suing because Google says allowing the company to sell in-game currency directly on its website violates Play Store policy, meaning Google doesn't get a percentage of the sales.

ALSO READ:The 15 Best Android Auto Apps Of 2023

What is happening in India may be related to other antitrust issues at Google. Google faces a similar battle with the European Union, where it has already been fined $8.24 billion for anti-competitive practices. The first lawsuit alleges that Google required phone makers to install the Chrome mobile browser and search tools on their devices, and offered financial incentives to install apps on phones. And for companies that don't follow the rules, Google Play Store will terminate the app store's entire ecosystem.

The US Justice Department is also suing Google's parent company Alphabet in its second crackdown on its digital advertising business this week, alleging that the company "distorted legitimate ad technology competition" to create a monopoly. .