What Google’s new Android policy means

Google has been making headlines in recent months with hefty fines imposed by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). The company claims it has abused its market leader position on Android and has not allowed other companies to grow on the platform. Google has legally fought these accusations in the country, but the company appears prepared to comply with the terms issued by the antitrust agency.

Google has shared details of these changes it believes will be made to its domestic business policies. These changes have already been listed, but what do these changes mean for consumers, those using Android phones in India? What can we expect from this decision? Let’s take a closer look at them.

No more preloaded Google Apps

Google makes it a practice to contract handset partners to preload Google suite of apps such as Chrome, Pay, Drive and Photos. The company plans to stop doing so, per terms put forth by Google. OEMs can choose which Google apps to preload on their devices for consumers.

India’s limited choice of apps as alternatives to Chrome, Pay, Drive, etc., is working in Google’s favor, but the ruling means that other app developers will eventually catch your eye. , which means you may get the chance to allow it for use on Android devices.

Chrome is no longer the default search option

Google makes Chrome the default search option for Android users in India, but soon it won’t be the only option for users. On Android devices, you’ll see a selection screen where you can choose which search engine you want to be the default option. Details are scarce right now, but it’s possible that you’ll be able to choose between Chrome, Bing, or any other Android-compatible search option.

Your app is billed outside of the Google Play Store

Google restricted other app developers from offering a billing system on Android, forcing them to pay via the Play Store instead. Netflix, Epic Games, Spotify and others have shared their views on the practice, allowing the flexibility to include a billing system in addition to the Play Store billing system for his Android users in India. This means that users can pay for in-app purchases through an external billing system.

Sideloading apps with security in mind

The open-source nature of Android means that you can sideload apps from various app stores by allowing your phone to download from unknown sources. Google was critical of this practice, but now says it’s responsive to user needs and warns users if they’re actually downloading malicious or genuine apps from other sources.

How does Google do this? The company has made changes to Android’s installation flow and auto-update functionality for sideloaded apps. This gives users a clearer picture of the nature of the apps they install on their devices.

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