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The European Commission handed down a ruling earlier this twelvemonth that fined Google a tape $v billion for anticompetitive practices in Android licensing. In addition to the fine, the Commission is forcing Google to unbundle some of its apps from Android, but the company says that's going to mean more than fees for phone makers in Europe. At present we're finding out how steep those fees could be. A leaked document suggests that Google could charge OEMs as much every bit $40 per phone for a Google apps license.

The Commission's requirement that Google unbundle apps is spring to make Android licensing more complex. Equally it currently stands, Google has appear that it volition no longer include Chrome and Google Search in the Google apps bundle for phones in the EU. That is supposed to allow device makers to package other options and increase competition. However, Google makes a lot of money from Chrome and Search, so it will accuse an upwardly-front license fee for the devices.

According to a leaked Google certificate, phones will exist split into 3 different tiers, with the prices varying by state. United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland, Sweden, Germany, Kingdom of norway, and kingdom of the netherlands volition have the highest license fees. There, a phone with a pixel density of 500 ppi (pixels per inch) or higher volition cost $40 each to license Google'southward apps. Between 400 and 500 ppi, OEMs will pay $xx per phone. Under 400 ppi, and the cost is $10 each. In some countries with smaller economies, the fee could be equally low every bit $2.fifty per Android license.

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The document doesn't go into particular nearly why pixel density is used to carve up up phones, but it's probably just a simple mode to decide how much a phone costs without factoring in local pricing. A high-cease phone like the Galaxy Note ix has a higher pixel density (516 ppi) than a budget offering similar the Milky way J8 (274 ppi).

Companies can however enter into divide licensing agreements for Chrome and Google Search, and most of them probably will. Google won't pay a share of search acquirement from devices that don't ship with the apps, even if the owner installs them from the Play Shop. By agreeing to bundle Chrome and Search, they might be able to offset the license fee completely. The simply manner to avoid all this is to skip licensing Google apps entirely, and that's not a recipe for success.

The revamped licensing, which Google is not confirming at this time, will become into effect in February 2022. It will finish bundling Chrome and Search at the cease of this month.

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