When you buy an Android device, there is a good chance it will come preloaded with Google’s apps and services, like Gmail, Google Search, Maps, and so on. For the most part those are some of the reasons why users choose Android to begin with. However it seems that over in Russia, the country’s local search giant Yandex feels that’s considered to be monopolization.
The company had filed a complaint against Google earlier this year, and now Russia’s Federal Anti-monopoly Service has sided with the company. The body claims that Google had illegally required Android OEMs to include its apps and services alongside the Google Play Store, which they consider to be a form of monopoly, like the issue of Microsoft bundling Internet Explorer with Windows many years ago.
So what does this mean for Google? For now it looks like the FAS wants to hit Google up with a fine, with the amount to be determined in the coming weeks. The FAS also notes that Google will be hit with additional penalties if they don’t put an end to their practice of requiring its apps and services to be bundled on Russian Android devices.
As it stands Google is already missing out on a huge market in China, although there are plans for the company to make a somewhat limited return. If Google were to comply with this request, it would no doubt have a huge impact on the company, but as it stands Google has yet to respond to the impending fine and it remains to be seen as to what the company plans to do moving forward.