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Comment by JustSomeNobody | Hacker News Reader

I don't get this. Sure Android has a greater market share, but people use it _because_ Google services come with it (and phones tend to be less expensive). They aren't (at least to my knowledge) doing anything underhanded to keep me from installing alternatives. I can completely replace all of the default apps. There is another major platform that doesn't allow for that. Why aren't they at least being given a warning?

Edit: Disclosure, I use both major platforms.

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Google is paying manufacturers to use Google search as the default search engine and to exclude other search engines. The EU sees Google's dominant position in mobile OSs being used to bundle their search engine.

It's hard to deny that there's a stinking parallel to Microsoft paying PC manufacturers to bundle IE and exclude other browsers, which resulted in the famous anti-trust suit.

A good parallel is the news that came out just yesterday about Google Home: Google will forbid anyone who wants to offer Google Cast/Home integrated devices from offering other digital assistants, like Alexa.

http://variety.com/2016/digital/news/google-home-amazon-echo...

Microsoft didn't pay to exclude Netscape, they told OEMs they wouldn't sell them Windows at all if they preinstalled Netscape.

Being or getting a monopoly is 100% legal.

Its is however illegal, when a company uses its monopoly power, to gain an additional monopoly. In this case google using its 3. Party smarthphone os monopoly, to gain/reinforce an additonal monopoly on search and services.

Did you read the article?

"EU antitrust regulators plan to order Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google to stop paying financial incentives to smartphone makers to pre-install Google Search exclusively on their devices and warned the company of a large fine, an EU document showed."

Yes. I have not seen an Android device which I was unable to easily use, say, DuckDuckGo as my search engine. I guess this only happens in the EU.

Yes, you can change it. You could install Netscape on PCs bundled with IE, too. That's not the point.

Actually, it is 100% the point. I never personally agreed with the Microsoft anti-trust scandal (and a lot of people on HN don't): nothing stopped you from installing another browser and making it the default for relevant URI schemes and file types.

Microsoft got nailed because they were popular, not because they forced people to not use Netscape. Now, everyone includes a default browser, and no one sues Apple over forcing all iOS users to use Safari no matter what, even "alternative browsers" must use Safari for their HTML canvas underneath.

If the EU get their way, you may not be able to change it anymore. Microsoft quite liked to pay companies to set Bing as the only search option and disable the setting to change it.

So it's going to end up just like with MS. Now when you start your new phone, you have to select what search engine to use, even though everyone will select Google anyway. The only victory here is the EU getting a big wad of cash...

I thought Apple was being fined by EU for a huge sum (just another reason).

$14.5 billion tax bill, not exactly a fine.

(Also, I want to write $14.5G like I would $14.5M or $14.5k, but I don't think it would be understood very well)

(Use $14.5B)

how is that relevant?

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