For a long – announced platform to be open and promote choice, the has spilled from the unwritten documents presented in the case Epic v. Google, it is revealed that the search giant has an anti-competitive side.
Despite the ability to load laterally and install third-party source applications, Google bought around a “Premier Device Program” with Android device manufacturers to keep Play Store as the dominant app store. Google did the same with game developers in a separate program, offering significant financial incentives to keep titles available in its app store.
Court documents reveal that LG, Motorola and HMD Global, which manufactures Nokia phones, are part of the Premier Device program. Premier devices have an effective obligation for Google services to be the “defaults for all key features” of up to 90% of the manufacturer’s Android phones. This includes blocking apps with the ability to install APKs on your device, except for app stores designed and managed by the respective original equipment manufacturer.s (OEM). In turn, Google promised a higher reduction in search revenue earned with the device, raising the rate from 8% to 12%, which is not a negligible increase. In some cases, Google also agreed to share up to 6% of Play Store’s “Play Invest” revenue, essentially the amount of money this phone earned for Google based on user interactions.
In addition to the other brands mentioned above, Xiaomi, Sony, Sharp and BBK Electronics, which owns OnePlus, and foreign brands such as Oppo and Vivo, participated in the program in different capacities. Google even had contracts with carriers to deter them from launching app stores that would compete with the Android app market by explicitly demonstrating deep pockets prevent competition and innovation.
Google had a similar incentive-based program for game developers, initially called “Project Hug,” although it is now called the Apps and Games Velocity Program. The idea behind it was to “hug developers close and show love” and “throw extra love / promotion to the best developers and games.” Google paid these game developers hundreds of millions of dollars to ensure that your games are available in the Play Store.
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Epic Games alleges that Google forged the program out of concern that other gaming companies would follow suit with the launch of Fortnite on Android devices. Epic originally launched Fortnite out of the Play Store to give up 30% of revenue. But Google didn’t like that. A report referring to the documents shows that the Google Play financial team had expressed concern that Epic was initiating a move within the industry and convincing other OEMs to file a lawsuit in stores. pre-installed applications and to downloaders that would compete with Play Store.
Google had estimated that an independent Epic Games store on Android would have caused a loss of revenue for the company. up to $ 1.4 billion in 2022. If Amazon and Samsung app stores had followed suit, earning “full traction” and making as much money as Epic could earn, the losses could reach $ 6 billion. It is almost the equivalent of 22 many antitrust paid to the European Union.
Google said The Verge that has long had such programs to support its developers “best in class.” “These programs are a sign of healthy competition between operating systems and app stores and greatly benefit developers,” said Google spokesman Peter Schottenfels.
To your credit, Google does nothing to do this apple i Amazon I haven’t tried it, at least in terms of encouraging developers to distribute apps across their mobile platform. But the case of Epic against Google is certainly removing the image the company is committed to opening on its mobile platform.
You can read the full documents they cover These programs are shown below in the unwritten documents provided by Epic.