Google and anti-trust
Around this time Google appears to have been hit with a series of anti-trust lawsuits as part of a broader monopoly discourse in the United States. Specifically, a possible forcing of Android mobile device manufacturers to pre-install up to thirty Google services is mentioned, giving them a clearly visible and favorable positioning within the home screen of the device, also making them impossible to uninstall by users not interested in these. app.The impact of this move could also have consequences for Microsoft and Xbox and some of its subscription-based services. Among these services they may also encounter problems: Office, OneDrive, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, with these applications that may have to grant Google 30% on in-app subscriptions. To underline the situation there was also the editorial staff of The Verge with a dedicated piece full of additional details.
As Windows Central states, although this situation will not prevent users from being able to subscribe to various services such as Xbox Game Pass, purchases made by the entire large slice of users who own an Android device could be affected, also impacting the ability of these services to acquire new users over time.
Later this year, streaming apps will have to offer Google in-app purchases. If they don’t, they’re disallowed from even hinting that there are other ways to subscribe outside the Play Store.
Just like on iOS. pic.twitter.com/dmLg5gQCqt
- Dieter Bohn (@backlon) July 8, 2021
Currently we do not know how this issue will end, but recently Epic Games has also had to face various pressures, especially you will remember the lawsuit brought by Apple against the hugely popular Fortnite title, which went on for different time. In the meantime to discover the implications of this situation, Google has responded to the accusations made by the anti-trust with a post published on its official blog.
If you want to enjoy all the videogame experiences proposed on Xbox Series X to the fullest. | S, and save on individual purchases, you can also subscribe to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate through Amazon at this address.
Google faces new anti-trust lawsuit over app store
Google Play logo in phone
Google is being sued by 37 US states over policies on its Android app store, Google Play.
The lawsuit claims that the tech giant has used 'monopolistic leverage' to generate large profits from purchases made within its own store.
It also claimed Google had bought off its competitors.
Google said that there are rival app stores for Android devices, and that apps can also be downloaded directly from developers' own websites.
The 37 states involved in the legal action include New York, Tennessee and North Carolina, as well as Washington DC.
It criticises the commission Google takes on purchases made within Google Play, which can be up to 30%, in line with Apple's App Store policies and the stores of other rivals such as Amazon and Microsoft XBox.
In 2020, Google's gross revenue from Google Play was $36.8bn (£26.7bn), reported Statista, while Apple chief executive Tim Cook has claimed not to know how profitable the App Store is as an individual entity within his company.
Google also says that 97% of developers do not pay it any 'service fees' at all because they are not selling digital products within their apps.
'Google Play is not fair play,' Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said in a statement.
'It must stop using its monopolistic power and hyper-dominant market position to unlawfully leverage billions of added dollars from smaller companies, competitors and consumers beyond what should be paid.'
'Openness and choice'In a blog, Google's senior head of public policy, Wilson White, described the action as 'strange'.
'We understand that scrutiny is appropriate, and we're committed to engaging with regulators,' he wrote.
'But Android and Google Play provide openness and choice that other platforms simply don't.'
The tech giants' app store policies are facing increasing scrutiny.
In May, the UK's Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation into Apple's app store policies.
And Epic Games, the studio behind the hit game Fortnite, started legal action against both Apple and Google in the UK back in January, citing competition rules.
A study commissioned by Facebook in December suggested that the majority of apps used by people in the US were made by either Apple or Google, reported The Verge.