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EU looking into Google's Android licensing, asks makers if they were forced to delay competing devices

By Daniel Petrov

Published: Jun 14, 2013, 7:46 AM

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EU looking into Google's Android licensing, asks makers if they were forced to delay competing devices

EU officials are looking into Google's practices for licensing Android to manufacturers, with the question tipped by Nokia read Microsoft, and others, say documents obtained by the Financial Times.

Google allegedly has been licensing the Android software “below cost” to some manufacturers, whatever that means for an officially free mobile OS, and there were also “potential requests by Google to cancel and/or delay the launch of smartphone devices” which ran other operating systems, or had mobile services other that Google's suite preinstalled, reveal the documents.

An 82-questions survey has been sent to numerous device makers and carriers by the EU Commission trying to set the record straight whether Google has been strongarming them into exclusivity agreements for services such as YouTube and the gang. Microsoft has had widely publicized troubles trying to make Google approve an official YouTube app for the Windows Phone platform, for instance, and is apparently exploring every legal means possible to make its voice heard.

source: The Financial Times

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Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena from 2010 to 2025, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.