Alphabet unit Google has bowed to pressure from rivals and will let them compete for free to be the default search engines on Android devices in Europe, widening a pledge to EU antitrust regulators two years ago. Google’s Android mobile operating system runs on about four-fifths of the world’s smartphones. “We are now making some final changes to the Choice Screen including making participation free for eligible search providers. We will also be increasing the number of search providers shown on the screen,” Oliver Bethell, director at Google, wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. It had previously only allowed four competitors, chosen in separate auctions for each EU country, to be displayed on Android screens.

Source: The Irish Times June 08, 2021 12:56 UTC