Antitrust Probe: Google Abused Android Dominance in India
A two-year antitrust probe by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) found out that Google has abused its position in the country to hurt competitors.
Android holds a share of 95.23% of the mobile operating system market in India. Apple's iOS comes in second with 3.2%. This prompted India's antitrust watchdog, the Competition Commission of India (CCI), to investigate whether Google is abusing its near-monopoly in the market to harm local competitors.
India's CCI began looking at Google's practices in India in 2019 after complaints were filed against the tech giant. The Commission's report has revealed that the Company has reduced the abilities and incentives of manufacturing firms to develop devices running alternative versions of Android.
Not only that, but Google also forced device manufacturers to pre-install its own Google apps, which was found to be in violation of India's competition law. Google is also facing other antitrust cases in India over allegations that it has abused the dominant position it holds in the advertising-technology sector to promote its own payments service.
More than 50 firms helped in the investigation, which also found issues with Google's "one-sided" and "vague" Play Store policies. The report's findings, though lauded by many, have not been formally published, and could register a setback for Google in India.
