Berliner Tageblatt - Swiss probe Google dropping search choice on Android phones

The feature allowed users to choose their default search engine during the initial set-up of a new Android device.

"Recently, Google removed this feature in Switzerland," the Secretariat of the Competition Commission (COMCO) said in a statement.

"As a result, the Google search engine is imposed as the default on Swiss users, without a 'choice screen' being displayed during the initial set-up."

COMCO said its removal could limit the visibility of search engines competing with Google, thereby reinforcing barriers to entry.

"This new practice by Google could affect the ability of search engine providers and, more broadly, other digital service providers to compete," it said.

It also creates an unequal treatment between Swiss users and those in the surrounding European Economic Area, "even though the competitive issues are comparable", it added.

The EEA covers 30 countries, extending the 27-member European Union's common market to three other states. Switzerland is not a member of either bloc.

COMCO said that in digital markets, default settings played a decisive role, with the choice screen aiming to reduce the lock-in effects associated with preconfigured settings.

"The preliminary investigation will determine whether there are indications of an unlawful restriction of competition under the Cartel Act," said COMCO.

A Google spokesperson told AFP that the tech giant was aware of the investigation.

"We look forward to cooperating fully with the authority to address their questions," the spokesperson added.

At the start of July, the EU's top court upheld a record 4.1-billion-euro ($4.7 billion) fine the bloc slapped on Google for anti-competitive practices related to its Android operating system.

The European Court of Justice dismissed the US tech giant's second attempt to overturn the penalty imposed by the European Commission in 2018 -- which remains the EU's highest ever antitrust fine.

The commission, the 27-nation bloc's antitrust regulator, had accused Google of abusing the popularity of its Android operating system to restrict competition.

It alleged Google pressured phone makers using Android to pre-install its search engine and Google Chrome browser -- essentially shutting out rivals.

A.Gasser--BTB