Following an antitrust ruling by the European Union, Google is explaining its plans to offer a choice of search providers to Android users. From 2020, a new choice screen will be displayed on all Android devices shipped in Europe. This will, eventually, let users select the default search engine, and browser, for their hardware. Google, however, has found a way to spin this into a money-making opportunity.
Today’s announcement follows the record-setting $5 billion fine against Google for antitrust violations in the EU. The July 2018 ruling required Google to stop “illegally tying” its Chrome and search apps to Android. The European Commission then left the means of compliance up to Google, which the Commission continues to monitor.
Here’s how Google describes the new auction process in a blog post published today.
In each country auction, search providers will state the price that they are willing to pay each time a user selects them from the choice screen in the given country. Each country will have a minimum bid threshold. The three highest bidders that meet or exceed the bid threshold for a given country will appear in the choice screen for that country.
Google will be accepting bids from search providers from now until September 13th, with a final list of providers for each country being announced on October 31st. The choice screen will debut some time in early 2020.
