Google is challenging a fine in India for abuse of power with Android

Google is challenging a fine the company received in India for abuse of power with its Android operating system. The fine of approximately 165 million euros came from CCI, the Indian competition authority.

Google tells Reuters that it is challenging the fine because CCI’s demands would disadvantage Indian users and potentially drive up the price of Android phones. The company does not explain those claims further. The decision to appeal comes almost two months after the fine was imposed.

The opposition is probably not against the fine itself, but against the imposition of conditions on the supply of Android. Google obliges manufacturers who want to supply Google’s Play Store to also install a number of other apps and give them a prominent place. Manufacturers go along with this, because the Play Store contains almost all the apps that users look for on Android phones.

The CCI further states that Google uses its ‘dominant position’ to eliminate competitors in search, app stores, browsers and video services. The tech giant does this, for example, by prominently placing pre-installed apps, such as YouTube and Chrome, on the home screen. For example, alternatives such as Firefox and Vimeo are not included as standard with new devices.

The amount in Indian rupees is 13,377,600,000. The Indian Commission started investigating Google 3.5 years ago because the tech giant requires phone manufacturers to pre-install the entire Google Mobile Suite on devices. Google previously also received fines in other countries for its abuse of power around Android. For example, Google must pay a fine of more than 4 billion euros from the European Commission. An Italian market watchdog fined Google for banning certain apps from the Google Play Store that competed with Google’s own apps. In addition, Google has been taken to court in the US for its dominance in search engines.