Google Hits Back at EU Claim Over Android Abuses

Google has rejected EU allegations that it abused its market dominance of its Android mobile phone operating system. "Android hasn't hurt competition, it's expanded it," said Kent Walker, general counsel of Google. From a report on BBC: The US tech firm sent its reply on Thursday to anti-trust charges issued by the EU earlier this year over the smartphone platform. The European Commission told the BBC it would carefully consider Google's response before making a decision. Mr Walker said in a blog: "The response we filed today shows how the Android ecosystem carefully balances the interests of users, developers, hardware makers and mobile operators." He said that more than 24,000 devices from over 1,300 brands ran on Android, enabling European developers to distribute their apps to over a billion people.

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[daveime]

The "law" in this case being too popular?

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[spacepimp]

Why don't you expect the same of any and all websites? In fact, ban ads and cookies altogether.

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[Coisiche]

They're sniffing around Apple as well, over dubious tax deals with Ireland.

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[Maritz]

You think google have a monopoly on smartphone OSs? lol.

60% of Android based devices use Google's version

[raymorris]

Over 60% of Android-based devices use Google's version of Android. 25% use Samsung's, then there's FireOs, etc.

I'm not sure Google has a monopoly even on ANDROID, never mind the non-Android based competitors like Apple's iOS.

Of the top three phone makers, how many use Google's Android, rather than a completely different OS entirely or their own very different version of Android?

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[Maritz]

It's called a pyramid scheme. You have to pay money into a pyramid scheme.

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[gnick]

It's not a pyramid scheme - It's a multi-level-marketing opportunity! Guaranteed riches*! Ask me how!

*Riches not guaranteed.

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[gnick]

John Oliver explains brilliantly here [youtube.com].

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[account_deleted]

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[TheRaven64]

Yes, all of the competitors of Google that have 80% of the smartphone OS market are being investigated.

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[khchung]

Do you know what "market dominance" means? Don't Android fan like to say Android has the majority of the smartphone market? How could *any* Android competitor, having only minority market share, abuse any market dominance?

EU Bullshit

[CrashNBrn]

Android is the most open Operating System, except for maybe Linux - and with the push to force SystemD down everyone's throat,I'd say Android is more open than Linux. It's not that difficult to replace android components - almost all of the major device manufacturers do: Samsung, Xiaomi, etc.

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[Ionized]

as deployed.

blame the deployers - the smartphone makers - not Google.

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[CrashNBrn]

Not really. You can get root on almost all Android devices, and most manufacturers allow for unlocking the bootloader as well. I've got root on a Xiaomi phone, though I've been having some problems with the bootloader due to this model's quirks compared to their others. I know it's possible. It looks like I need to load the Chinese Dev rom first - and I haven't had time to backup, wipe, reload *again*.

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[thegarbz]

No Android is 100% open. What you're talking about is the requirements to add Google Play services to a device.

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[TheRaven64]

Try installing (or even legally acquiring) the top 10 most popular Android apps on an AOSP phone that doesn't have any of the Google services installed.

Re:EU Bullshit

[CrashNBrn]

What for? Why would you expect Apps from the "Play Store" to work, if you aren't going to use the support services those apps need. That makes zero sense. In that case use the Xiaomi store, or the Samsung Store. Or just continue to be paranoid and have a crippled device.

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[Solandri]

Actually Android is Linux - it uses the Linux kernel. But yeah, I really don't understand the EU on this. Google already releases the source code for Android [android.com] If anyone has a problem with Android being "closed" or restrictive, they just need to grab the source and compile their own version. Or install a version someone else has already compiled [cyanogenmod.org]. If that's too difficult or not to their liking, then the EU should just hire someone to make an EU version. Google has already done 99% of the work, the EU ju

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[CrashNBrn]

We all know its running on top of SELinux. Which doesn't affect my "claim" at all.

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[tlhIngan]

Android is the most open Operating System, except for maybe Linux - and with the push to force SystemD down everyone's throat,I'd say Android is more open than Linux. It's not that difficult to replace android components - almost all of the major device manufacturers do: Samsung, Xiaomi, etc.

Yes, Android is open.

However, if you want to ship Google's stuff, you have to agree to a bunch of terms and conditions. This includes having Google apps be the default, and accessible within 1 click from the Home screen

silicon or carbon, we're all the same

[Thud457]

it's ethically wrong to abuse your android.

The EU is Quasi Right.

[Zombie Ryushu]

Android is the most open of the three Mobile OSes. That being said, The EU is Quasi Right. Android has a series of serious problems that need to be addressed.

1. Per-device Roms. Android makers play Musical chipsets with Android Handsets. This is particularly true of Chinese firms like Mediatek, where the Rom has to match the CPU type (MTK6572, MTK6582, etc etc etc.)

2. Location Services. At least on KitKat and lower, maybe some version of Lollipop. You cannot use alternate location services. This shouldn't be, and is a serious privacy concern.

3. Root. On a device you own, you should always be able to become root. Always.

4. Locked Bootloaders. It should not be allowed that you have Locked bootloaders onl any device you own.

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[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

In addition

[emil]

• - Google should be shipping the master kernel for all platforms, without carrier ability to block. Like RedHat, they should allow 3rd-party drivers by backporting patches into a kernel under long-term-support. All components of the master kernel should be in AOSP. This should have started with JellyBean.
• - Android Webview is now updated from Play. This should also include Stagefright, OpenSSL/libcrypto/libssl, and libc.a. Everything in /system/lib that is NOT updated by the store should have an independent

Total Absurdity

[hackel]

The notion that Google is "abusing" a "monopoly" is the most absurd accusation I've heard in a long time. The fact that Google is pouring money into an open source operating system which benefits *its own *competitors* should make this obvious to anyone. Where's the ruling for Apple, which refuses to release its source code, refuses to allow its software to run on any other hardware aside from its own, and doesn't allow any form of derivative works? Hell, they won't even allow other browser engines to run on their phones! Did Europe forget the great IE monopoly lawsuits? Come on...

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[ausekilis]

I fail to see how Google investing in AOSP is benefiting Apple and Microsoft. Realistically, Google is not in competition with Samsung or other Android manufacturers.

Google has the crosshairs on them because they may be using their market dominance to push their own products. A closer analogy is what happened with MS during the browser nonsense some years ago. Windows is still the de-facto standard OS, and was pushing IE down users throats, even going so far as making it an integral part of the OS. You c

Easy solution

[allo]

Easy solution: If the bundling really has technical reasons, they should just allow unbundling for every company, which gets the playstore to work without the other apps without sueing them. Ooops, alterantive ROMs already do this with their inofficial gapps-packages.

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[account_deleted]

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[account_deleted]

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