Android operating system has to start charging in Europe

Previously, Google’s Android system was considered by the EU to be a monopolistic market. The EU issued a $5 billion sky-high price penalties to Google for the monopoly issue.

Google executives suggest that EU penalties may make Android no longer free, and Google also appeals against EU antitrust decisions rather than directly compromising.

But even then, regardless of whether or not the EU is appealing, it is mandatory for Google to unbundle the request, and manufacturers must not be required to bundle Google’s applications.

The hints of Google executives began to become a reality:

In response to the $5 billion sky-high penalties and forced unbundling, Google announced an additional charge for all Android devices for the EU market.

Google’s senior vice president of platform and ecosystem said in a blog that pre-installed Google apps support Android’s funding for open source free and innovative funding.

The unbundling agreement means that Google completely loses revenue from Android, and as a response, Google can only develop additional license fees.

In the coming weeks, Google will re-sign a licensing agreement with all partners to start charging for Android devices that are sold to the EU market.

Google is not currently explaining in the blog what the license fee for Android is, and perhaps there will be a manufacturer leaking Google’s licensing fees in the coming weeks.

Regardless of Google’s licensing fees for Android, these costs are ultimately included in the price of Android devices and then transferred to consumers.

For users in the EU, although the license fee may not be too much, it is free in other regions, so this is an extra cost.

Android’s open source and free also spawned quite a few cheap Android devices, and these cheap devices also provide a more productive life for a large number of users.

These cheap Android devices have to follow the price increase after Google charges, which may also have a negative impact on the development of the mobile Internet in the EU.

What will happen to the subsequent developments:

Google’s charging approach seems to be a deliberate confrontation with the European Union, which Google’s strategy is very tricky for EU antitrust agencies.

After all, the final payment is for users in the EU, and Google is also putting pressure on EU antitrust agencies through disguised users in the EU.

The current war between Google and the EU antitrust agency is still in the appeal period, so it is not right to end the EU antitrust will yet be reconciled with Google.