Indian Watchdog Finds Google Abused Android Dominance: Reports

According to a Competition Commission of India's (CCI) report, Alphabet Inc's GOOGL Google has abused the dominance of its Android system in India. 

What Happened: The newly revealed details were outlined in the June report issued by the CCI, stating that the motivation for device manufacturers to create Android-alternative operating products had been negatively impacted by Google. 

The report said, "Google reduced the ability and incentive of device manufacturers to develop and sell devices operating on alternative versions of Android."

The system's mandatory pre-installation of apps violated India's competition statute, the probe found. 

The CCI interviewed tens of companies regarding their investigation, including Apple Inc AAPL and Amazon.com, Inc AMZN. 

Senior CCI members will review the report and give Google another chance to defend itself before issuing a final order, which could include penalties. 

The report said Play Store policies were "one-sided, ambiguous, vague, biased and arbitrary", while Android has been "enjoying its dominant position" in licensable operating systems for smartphones and tablets since 2011. 

Why It Matters: Google faces several lawsuits across various countries in the payments app and smart television markets. 

Google has been investigated in Europe, U.S., and elsewhere. South Korea's antitrust regulator has fined Google $180 million for blocking customized versions of Android. 

Android powers 98% of India's 520 million smartphones, according to Counterpoint Research.

Google’s mobile operating system powers more than 80% of smartphones around the world and regulators have accused Google of using its dominant position to squeeze out competition.

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