Android is changing in India with Google now complying with the Competition Commission of India (CCI)’s October 2022 order, which fined the company for abusing its dominant market position. While Google says it will still appeal against the order, it is now preparing to make a significant overhaul of how Android functions in India. But what exactly are these changes, and how will they impact users and smartphone manufacturers (or original equipment manufacturers OEMs)? Here’s a closer look. Your next Android phone might not come with too many pre-installed Google apps Most Android phones come with a suite of Google apps already pre-installed, such as Gmail, YouTube, Google Chrome, GPay, Google Maps, etc. Phone developers must license Android from Google, and one of the terms and conditions is that they include Google’s suite of apps. This will now change. According to Google’s blog post on the issue, “OEMs will be able to license individual Google apps for pre-installation on their devices.” So it means an OEM will no longer be forced to pre-install these apps. But it should be pointed out that most Android phones, regardless of price points, come with several pre-installed apps, and not all of these are from Google. Many of these other apps, pushed by the manufacturer, add no value to the user. Typically, these are referred to as ‘bloatware’, and it will likely continue on most phones. The CCI order also made it clear that Google could no longer force OEMs to install its apps as a condition for granting licenses for the Play Store (including Google Play Services). Google Search will no longer be the default option This is perhaps one of the most significant blows to Google’s dominance in the market. On most Android phones, Google Search is the default option. The Google Search bar is typically seen on the home screen in a prominent position. But under the changes, users in India will now have the option to set a different search engine as their default option, instead of being limited to just Google. According to the blog post, this new screen will appear “when a user sets up a new Android smartphone or tablet in India.” Google has not specified when this change will start rolling out and whether it will apply for phones already available in the market. The ‘forks’ are coming This is another big change, with Google noting that it will update the “Android compatibility requirements” and allow partners to “build non-compatible or forked variants.” In the simplest terms, there are two kinds of Forks. One is compatible, built on the same Android Open Source Project, and also has access to Google’s Play Services because it complies with certain terms and conditions set by the company. The ‘non-compatible’ ones do not have access to Play Services, including the Google Play Store. Google apps can be sideloaded onto these forks or other variants. Keep in mind that non-compatible forks are not the same as the custom ‘skins’ or operating systems (OS), which you see on most Android phones. For example, Xiaomi phones come with MIUI, Samsung phones come with OneUI, while Oppo and realme devices have ‘ColorOS’ on top of the ‘stock’ or plain Android. OEMs to add their own app store, features, custom wallpapers, etc to the device, while also continuing with Google Play Services. But a non-compatible ‘fork’ has no access to the Play Services, which is a major source of revenue for Google. The CCI order noted that Google cannot deny access to its Play Services to OEMs or competitors, and needs to ensure app compatibility for ‘forks'. It also said app developers should easily port their apps into ‘forked’ versions of Android. User choice billing This change starts next month, and developers will appreciate it. They will now be able to offer users the option to “choose an alternative billing system alongside Google Play’s billing system when purchasing in-app digital content.” Google calls it the ‘user choice billing system', and developers will no longer have to pay high commissions (15 to 30 per cent) to the company for digital sales or in-app purchases. This ‘commission’ has been a bone of contention between developers and Google, as well as Apple. Keep in mind that in South Korea, legislation has already forced Google to allow this change. In South Korea, when developers offer their own payment method, the commission rate falls from 15 per cent to 11 per cent. Google has stated that “a reasonable service fee will still be applicable to alternative billing systems,” though the exact amount for Indian developers has not been specified. Sideloading gets ‘easier’ Sideloading is a contentious issue, though it has always been possible on Android. It is not allowed on iOS and iPadOS. But it looks like Google is making changes to “Android installation flow and auto-updating capability for sideloaded apps and app stores.” It will now be ‘easier’ to install these sideloaded apps, though exactly how easy is unclear. Google typically warns users when they are sideloading apps to Android. Developers have often talked about how such apps are treated like viruses by the Google system, with warnings flashed to users. Third-party app stores, which are already present on most phones in India, will also support auto-updates for their apps. The updates bit is important, given it will ensure timely fixes for any possible security issues. When do these changes come into effect? The blog post does not specify the exact date when these changes come into effect, but it will likely start soon. Technically, CCI’s order came into effect on January 19. Google had earlier appealed to the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) against the CCI’s order, but NCLAT has refused to stay the same. It then approached the Supreme Court against the NCLAT order. But the top court did not provide any relief, and instead asked NCLAT to decide the appeal by March 31. Google has also been asked to deposit 10 per cent of the Rs 1337 crore penalty with CCI.
