Indian regulators have penalized Google 13 billion rupees ($161 million; £144 million) for dominating the market with its Android platform.
The nation’s competition commission has accused the tech giant of negotiating “one-sided deals” with smartphone manufacturers to maintain the dominance of its applications.
Google has been ordered to “stop and desist” certain activities.
Google has not yet replied to the fine or the charges.
Thursday, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) issued a statement accusing Google of “abusing” its Android operating system licensing for a variety of smartphones, web searches, browsing, and video hosting services.
It was claimed that Google was getting into forced deals with competitors to ensure that its suite of programs, including Google Chrome, YouTube, and Google Maps, were utilized.
In addition to restricting competition, this method allowed Google continual access to consumer data and lucrative advertising opportunities, according to the statement.
The CCI has also requested that Google refrain from requiring device manufacturers to pre-load its apps and instead permit manufacturers and consumers to install apps of their choosing during initial device setup.
“Markets should be permitted to compete on merits, and the onus is on dominant companies (in this case, Google) to ensure that their conduct does not impede this merit-based competition,” the statement stated.
In India, Google faces several antitrust cases, and regulators are also investigating the company’s activity in the smart TV industry and its in-app payments system.
The Android-related investigation was initiated in 2019, in response to complaints from Android smartphone users.
Comparable to the one Google faced in Europe, where it was fined $5 billion for manipulating its Android operating system to obtain an unfair advantage in the market.
