Google will show more mobile search apps to choose from on new Android phones in Europe and make participation free for search providers
On August 2, 2019, following the European Commission's July 2018 … Jonathan Keane / Silicon Republic : Google to allow other search engines on Android for free Kris Holt / Engadget : Google will let rivals appear as default search engine options on Android for free Paul Rainford / Light Reading : Eurobites: Google bows to EU pressure on Android search engine choice Jon Porter / The Verge : Google will stop charging search providers for chance to be Android default in Europe Foo Yun Chee / Reuters : Google says rival search engines can appear on Android devices in Europe for free George Nguyen / Search Engine Land : Google drops the auction from its search choice screen Ryan Browne / CNBC : Google just made a key concession to smaller search rivals in Europe Tweets: Lewis Crofts / @lewis_crofts : Google has updated its Android choice screen: it's now free & includes up to a dozen rival search engines. This is a response to pressure from @EU_Commission as well as the likes of @DuckDuckGo EC has responded positively to the offer. /1 Lewis Crofts / @lewis_crofts : They may ultimately have to open up to the likes of @Google in displaying search or music or whatever on the iPhone. /ends Lewis Crofts / @lewis_crofts : Arguably, this is much more than Google had to do to comply with the EC decision from 2018. So, @vestager has engineered more than was necessary (for narrow compliance purposes). If such free choice screens become the norm in platform cases, it could impact on @Apple & others/2 Tim Schumacher / @timschu : After months of calling for change and an open letter to the European Commission together with @DuckDuckGo, @Lilo_org, @QwantCom and @Seznam_cz, Google is now ditching Android's unfair auction system for alternative search engines. https://blog.google/... Andreas Proschofsky / @suka_hiroaki : Google is updating its Android browser choice screen for the EU: No more auctions (which were heavily criticized by other vendors) instead the six most popular search engines in each country are listed randomly (and six more in an overflow menu) for free https://blog.google/... @a_maehl : The free-to-access Android preference menu is a win for competition, consumers and privacy. But people should also be able to easily switch defaults *after* they setup their device. And not just on Android. To be continued! https://twitter.com/... @technology : Google will drop fees and add more mobile search apps for users to choose from on new Android phones, bowing to pressure from the EU and smaller rivals https://www.bloomberg.com/...
Context & Ripple Effects
Google’s European Android choice-screen policy evolved from asking users to select search and browser apps in response to Commission concerns to a search-provider auction for default-choice placement. The new approach removes that auction constraint while expanding the set of mobile search apps presented on new phones.
The change matters because the choice screen is a distribution point at Android setup, where Google’s rivals can reach users without first winning a paid slot. It revises the model under which Bing’s availability was limited by auction outcomes. The earlier quarterly auction made placement contingent on bidding rather than simply provider participation.
First-order effects
- Search providers can participate in the European Android choice screen without paying for inclusion, while new Android buyers receive a broader set of search-app options.
- Google replaces its paid allocation mechanism for this setup flow with a free participation model, altering how it administers the European remedy.
Second-order effects
- Smaller search providers no longer face the auction’s direct participation cost, reducing an advantage held by rivals able to bid for default-choice visibility.
- The competitive focus shifts from winning a scarce placement through bidding to persuading users at setup, increasing the importance of the choice screen’s app roster and presentation.
Third-order effects
- The sequence from initial browser and search choices to paid slots and now free participation points to European mobile-distribution remedies being refined around open access rather than auction-based allocation.
- If choice-screen rules continue to govern Android distribution, search competition in Europe will depend more on regulated setup pathways than on Google-controlled commercial terms.
The trend: European Android search remedies are moving from mandated user choice toward lower-friction access for competing search providers.