Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., claimed on Friday that the Indian government’s new antitrust ruling, which will alter the way the company markets its Android platform, will increase costs for consumers as well as app developers and equipment manufacturers.
In October, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) fined Google $161 million for abusing its dominant position in Android and asked it to change pre-installing app restrictions imposed on smartphone makers.
Google licenses the use of its Android operating system to manufacturers of mobile devices, but some claim that the restrictions it imposes—such as the requirement that its own apps be pre-installed—are anti-competitive. The business claims that these arrangements aid in keeping Android free.
The Android ecosystem’s expansion in India was on the verge of stalling as a result of the order, Google warned in a Supreme Court challenge to the order, according to Reuters earlier this month. 97% of smartphones in the country run Android.
