European Commission’s Android antitrust probe turns to complaining businesses

It has been a while since the European Commission first launched its anti-trust investigation against Google's Android OS and now, the commission is ready to hear the formal complaints from businesses claiming foul play. The companies that initially complained about Google's hold on the market with Android now have 24 hours to explain their issues once again so that the Commission can wrap things up and come to a final conclusion.

As the Financial Times points out, this level of activity indicates that the Commission is close to finishing up its investigation and according to a source close to the EC, the EU competition commissioner could present its statement of objections to Google as soon as next week. This would essentially be a list of charges against Google, which can be appealed.

Google has been butting heads with the European Commission for years, with a previous antitrust case focussing on the Google Search Engine and its dominance of the market.

The complaints that led to this investigation came from companies that weren't happy with the amount of its own apps that Google bundles with Android. According to a few companies, this stifles competition as many will stick to the pre-installed Google services.

KitGuru Says: If the European Commission can come to a verdict next week, then it will be interesting to see what they say. Microsoft has been in trouble before for bundling Internet Explorer with Windows, so it wouldn't be too surprising to see Google punished for bundling its own apps in Android, like the Play Store, Chrome, Google Search and more. 

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