Google's bet for Android Auto and Android Automotive succeeds and gradually conquered the automotive market; Unsurprisingly, studies show that drivers do not want touch screens in the car if they cannot use Android Auto, and all thanks to the variety of applications available, such as Google Maps.
Although this success has left Google in an enviable position on the market, it raised suspicions from the Bundeskartellamt, the maximum antitrust body in Germany; Hence the announcement of this week that Google will change the way you offer your car servicesand will directly affect all cars sold in Europe, according to The Wall Street Journal.
More specifically, Google is committed to license services such as Google Maps, Google Play and Google Assistant separately. In this way, Google will no longer force car manufacturers to obtain a common license for all these services if they wanted to install Android Automotive with Google in their cars. Google has also proposed to eliminate the contractual terms which oblige brands to encourage the use of their products, in addition to eliminating the provisions which prevent the use of other card services in addition to those of Google Maps. The company is committed to making these modifications to all car manufacturers in Europe.
Android Automotive OS (AAOS) is offered as a free operating system for car infodivement screens; But most brands have also chosen the license that allows them to include Google applicationsLike maps, which are very popular among drivers, called Android Automotive with Google. This is the same thing that occurs in the Android version for smartphones: although it is free, most Android mobiles sold in Europe are delivered with pre-installed Google applications.
These practices have already been subject to antitrust research, both in the European Union and in the United States. In this specific case, Germany has opened Two possible monopoly cases When he introduced new rules in 2021, which will now be closed with this agreement with the Bundeskartellamt, who stressed that he had the potential to make deep changes on the market.
The free android
In practice, the agreement implies that manufacturers can now explore other more services or in place of Google. For example, car brands can now Offer other default card applications in your vehiclesAnd continue to offer Google Maps Pre-install or eliminate it completely. In the same way, they can also install their own application store and their own virtual assistant or production agreements with other developers to preinstall their applications. All this, without prejudice to continue using Android Automotive and the Google applications they wish to preinstall, instead of accepting the complete package.
According to the Bundeskartellamt, this commitment opens the door to manufacturers to cooperate with Google Rivaux developers to create new solutions for infotainment systems. In the long term, the organization is hope that it will open the door to New alternatives to Google services in the carAnd even new alternative systems for Android Automotive and Android Auto. For its part, Google declares that its platforms and services have always offered the possibility of choice and that its conditions of use are the standard of the industry.
