cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/48969583
Google…
🔸required Android makers to pre-install Search & Chrome for Play Store access
🔸paid manufacturers exclusively
🔸blocked other Android versions
Less competition = fewer choices for users.
At Murena, we propose a full ecosystem without vendor lock-in. Your data, your choice.
👉 Read the full article by BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgj0pp5p62o?app-referrer=deep-link



Google was found to have paid manufacturers and telecoms to have Google search and Chrome pre-installed, and further enforced this by blocking access to its Play Store if they didn’t comply. Finally, it prohibited manufacturers from offering other versions of Android, again by threatening to ban access to its apps.
The only reason Apple isn’t also fined here is that they build and sell their own hardware, so they don’t have to force anyone to play by their rules - because they’re the only ones on the field…
Apple has been fined several times for abuse of dominant position though, and will surely be fined again since they continue to do it and profit massively from it.