Google to charge for apps on Android phones in Europe

LONDON: Google Inc plans to charge smartphone makers to pre-install G-Suit such as Youtube, Gmail and Google Maps on Android Powered Handsets in Europe.

The U.S tech giant Google announced on Tuesday that it is changing the business model of letting manufacturers install Google’s Suite of popular Android applications for free on phones running Android Android operating system.

The Company is taking these measures to comply with the July ruling by EU authorities that found Google allegedly abused the dominance of Android to stifle competitors.

Google Said in a blog-post that it had to start charging to make for lost revenue as a result of the EU enforcement measures.

“Since the pre-installation of Google Search and Chrome together with our other apps helped us fund the development and free distribution of Android, we will introduce a new paid licensing agreement for smartphones and tablets shipped into the EEA,” Hiroshi Lockheimer, Google’s senior vice president for platforms and ecosystem, wrote in the post.

The European Economic Area includes the European Union’s member countries, which now number 28, plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.