Android Phones Will Soon Be Expensive in India? Google Refused to Pay Fine
Google has hinted at an increase in price for android phones due to the latest decision of the Competition Commission of India (CCI).Before diving into the current situation, let's understand what happened between Google and the Competition Commission of India last year because what is happening now is directly related to the past.
What happened last year?
Last year in October, CCI made Google pay a fine of $161 million and Google India paid it. What was the reason?We all know Android is a product of Google and it is an open-source operating system. CCI said that Google misuses its power and authority. Google is a huge company and it does what it likes. Yes, Android is of Google but it cannot and should not control everything.By “control” they meant there are numerous android apps in an android phone that users cannot uninstall. Google does it deliberately and obliges users. For example, You cannot uninstall Google Maps, and there are a number of google applications that you cannot uninstall from your phone.CCI wanted that people/users should be free. That’s why Google India paid the fine last year of amount 161 million dollars. Simply because India is a vast market and Google wants to do business in India. For others, it might be a huge price but for Google, it is very small to what Google earns from India. This is what happened last year. Also Read: Depressing explanations from astronauts as to why there hasn’t been a moon landing mission in 50 years after Apollo
What is the problem now?
Again the CCI has fined Google. Let’s talk about the reason. There are millions of apps on Google Play Store which are developed by their respective developers. Developers make apps for money. They want to earn money from their applications so they publish their apps on Google Play Store.
How do the developers earn money? Some apps are paid and some apps have subscription plans. Users who want to use those apps and subscriptions, need to pay through Google Play, and after paying the subscription starts from which the developer earns.Here the question arises why do users choose the Google payment system only for paying the developer or the app (same thing basically)? Why developer is bound to receive money through Google, not any other payment system?When developers receive money through Google, they have to give 30% of it to Google. If they are allowed to use any other third-party payment system then it is the possibility that they might have to share a low percentage maybe 15% or 20% of the amount. This way the developers can have more profit.Another thing that the CCI wants is for people should be free to use their search engine on their android phones. Currently, in android phones, Google Chrome comes preinstalled and is the default search engine.CCI wants users should decide for themselves which applications they want and which they don’t in their android phones. Google is not in this favor because Chrome is a Google product and this way it can advertise and show it to as many users as possible. So Google pays a fine.From a user perspective, this is not right. Users should be given full control of keeping apps on their phones. For instance, if a user does not want Play Store then he should be able to uninstall it but as we all know Play Store cannot be deleted from the phone. You can install any other third-party app store and uninstall it but Play Store is there to stay forever on our devices.
What if Google agrees to make changes in Android, how will it affect everything?
As already said, Android is an open-source system which means anyone can modify it and make changes to it. Literally, anything can be done with it. OEMs modify it according to their needs. What is OEM? OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) means those companies that make android phones such as Samsung, Nokia, etc.Android needs updates and patches from time to time. Google plays a crucial role in providing security to Android. They make and release security patches, and updates for different Android versions. Since Android is open-source, anyone can provide updates and patches. Google does not necessarily need to do this. If Google wanted, it could have left Android to its released version. Other OEMs and developers could have also made the updates as per their requirements.But still, Google persists to provide the updates. This makes android phones cheaper. Did you get it? No? Let me explain.If Google ceases to provide updates and patches then mobile manufacturing companies need to make these updates by themselves for each of their phones. For this, they will need to hire developers and make investments in the necessary resources. All money that these companies will invest will indirectly come through our pockets. This means after so much investment, they will surely sell the phone at a high price and we will buy it because we don’t have any option. This is how android phones will be expensive.Currently, if there is any malfunction in Android then Google provides all the updates and patches. Google does not get much financial aid from phone manufacturing companies but still does the work. Because Google wants to make the Android ecosystem better.Google India had a court hearing on Monday 16th of January, 2023 on this matter.Also Read: The biggest cryptocurrency attacks and hacks of 2022
What is Google say about this?
According to the news Agency Reuters, Google says that it will do more harm than good in digital adoption where every second person has an android phone and is connected to the internet. And this will not just impact the users but also the ecosystem of device manufacturers and developers.The Android mobile platform, which has been among us for the past 14–15 years, will need to undergo significant adjustments, according to the statement.
What happened during the court hearing on 16 Jan. 2023?
CCI's attorney Mukul Rohatgi said at the court proceeding on Monday (January 16) that Google is unwilling to make payment. However, it had already paid a fine to the European court in the same case.CCI’s lawyers also said that Google paid over 4 billion euros in an EU case in 2017 and in India they are refusing because India is a third-world country.The next court hearing is on Wednesday (18 January).
My personal opinion
Although some points in my view are good on which Google should improve. We also cannot deny the fact that even if some apps are not preinstalled like Google Maps, we will eventually install them afterward.For a country like India where most people are from rural areas and are new to mobile and technology, for them, preinstalled apps (most apps and necessary apps) are useful. Because it saves internet data and for a newbie, it might be a headache to perform it manually. Also Read: View Counts Feature Added To Twitter | View Counts Can Be Seen Next To Tweets Google Play Store has a feature called Play Protect which keeps apps safe from malware. I personally rank Google security higher than any other third-party security software. This security is not limited to just the play store, in chrome, the Gmail app, and many other Google apps we get security. If these apps are not used then for anyone to find a trustable app for any task on a phone will be pretty hard and of course, could be expensive as well. Read the full article