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You are here: Home Members European Consumers' Organisation EU Court 14 September decision on Google Android's anticompetitive practices crucial for consumer choice online

EU Court 14 September decision on Google Android's anticompetitive practices crucial for consumer choice online

07 September 2022
by BEUC -- last modified 08 September 2022

The EU General Court will rule on Wednesday 14 September whether to uphold the European Commission's July 2018 antitrust decision against Google for imposing illegal restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators.


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These restrictions harmed consumers and competition by keeping competitors out of the market so that Google could secure its position as the only way into the web for millions of consumers in Europe, depriving them of choice and innovation.

Why it matters to consumers

The Court ruling on the Android case matters to consumers because most smartphones in Europe run on Google's Android operating system, while Google Search is the dominant search engine, used by millions of consumers daily to access goods, services and information on the web.

BEUC strongly welcomed the Commission's 2018 decision because Google's business practices concerning Android had prevented European consumers from having access to a meaningful choice between search engines, browsers and apps to download on their phones and tablets.

By misusing its strong market position to push its own products, Google made it very difficult, if not impossible, for alternative suppliers of search engines, browsers and apps to offer consumers their products. In practice, this meant that European consumers had no alternative to using Google's search engine, Google's browser Chrome and the apps available on Google's Play Store, even if they would have preferred, for example, to use more innovative and privacy-friendly services.

How BEUC has been involved

BEUC intervened at the Court in support of the Commission's July 2018 antitrust decision, including at hearings almost a year ago. In its Court interventions, BEUC highlighted the way in which Google exploited consumers' behaviour in real life (e.g. by keeping pre-installed search and browser apps rather than changing to alternatives) to deprive them of genuine choices.

Monique Goyens, Director General of the European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), said: "Google's actions harmed consumers by depriving them of genuine choice and innovation for more than a decade. Google took deliberate advantage of the fact that consumers tend to stick with the search and browser apps that come on their device. It is crucially important that the Court confirms that Google's behaviour for all these past years was illegal and cannot continue, thereby ensuring that consumers can benefit from a more open and innovative digital environment."

What the Commission concluded

The Commission's 2018 decision found that Google protected and strengthened its dominant position in general search services and breached EU competition rules by:

  • requiring manufacturers to pre-install the Google search app and browser app (Chrome), as a condition for licensing Google's app store (the Play Store);
  • making payments to certain large manufacturers and mobile network operators on condition that they exclusively pre-installed the Google search app on their devices; and
  • preventing manufacturers wishing to pre-install Google apps from selling even a single smart mobile device running on alternative versions of Android that were not approved by Google.

The Commission rightly concluded that these illegal practices were deliberately designed to exclude competitors and to ensure that Google's own products were placed on all devices running on Google Android. The Commission decision found that companies providing alternative search engines and browsers were unable to reach consumers and that consumers were therefore denied access to a choice of other products and services.

BEUC is the umbrella group for 46 independent consumer organisations from 32 countries. Its main role is to represent them to the EU institutions and defend the interests of European consumers.

The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC)