Google to allow rivals to bid for place among default Android options

BRUSSELS/BENGALURU (Reuters) – Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Google will allow rivals to purchase the possibility of profitable default search engine standing on new Android gadgets in Europe, the U.S. firm stated on Friday in its newest proposal to keep at bay recent EU antitrust penalties.

New Android smartphones and tablets shipped in Europe will, from early 2020, be provided 4 options for their default search engine, Google stated in a weblog submit (bit.ly/2yuIiwh).

Search engine suppliers might be ready to compete in a Google public sale for a spot on a “choice screen” the place customers will choose their most popular search engine from 4 options together with Google.

The three highest bidders for a given nation will seem on the selection display, Google stated.

Google’s transfer adopted final 12 months’s 4.34 billion euro ($4.81 billion) tremendous from the European Commission for blocking rivals by pre-installing its Chrome browser and Google search app on Android smartphones and notebooks.

The Commission stated it will monitor the method intently.

“The decision provides rival search providers the possibility to strike exclusive pre-installation deals with smartphone and tablet manufacturers. This was not possible before,” a spokesman stated.

“We have seen in the past that a choice screen can be an effective way to promote user choice.”

Czech search engine Seznam stated it was not clear what the implications might be.

“It is hard to comment based on a screenshot and a few sentences. Seznam, and I believe others, too, were not contacted by Google about this proposition, so we have to wait for all-important details,” stated Michal Feix, Seznam’s former chief govt and now associate at a consultancy advising the corporate.