[Update with Pricing] Google forces European Android OEMS to pay Up To $40 licensing fee per device for Google Apps

[AlTech]

Updates:

So, we now know that Google will be charging Up To $40 USD per Android Device depending on the Pixel density of the device.

 

Devices with a higher pixel density such as Galaxy S9 would be cost OEMs $40 USD.

 

Devices with lower pixel densities would cost OEMs less.

 

But if they wish to alleviate this and remove the costs they can bundle Chrome and Google Search and have no fee.

 

How this is not illegal under EU laws I do not know . Google effectively is achieving the same outcome as before but now with revenue for OEMs which don't bundle apps with Chrome and Search.

 

 

Quote

Android manufacturers will have to pay Google a surprisingly high cost in Europe in order to include Google’s Play Store and other mobile apps on their devices, according to documents obtained by The Verge. A confidential fee schedule shows costs as high as $40 per device to install the “Google Mobile Services” suite of apps, which includes the Google Play Store. The new fees vary depending on country and device type, and it would apply to devices activated on or after February 1st, 2019.

 

Original Post:

Google is forcing Android OEMs operating within the European Economic Area (EEA) to pay a license fee for Google Services not bundled with stock Android AOSP.

 

Google is doing this as a result of the European Comission finding Google guilty of trying Chrome and Google Search to Android.

 

There are different bundles which contain different Google Apps and services.

 

One of these bundles simply contains Chrome and Google Search and is 100% totally free (gratis) but still requires signing tons of legal paperwork and Google's approval of the device.

 

The other bundle contains all the other major Google Apps such as Play Store, YouTube, Gmail, Google Maps, Google Play Services and other similar proprietary Google Apps. This bundle costs money and requires signing tons of paperwork and Google's approval of the device.

 

The aforementioned changes go live on October 29th.

 

Quote

Google is changing the way it licenses its suite of Android apps in Europe, leading the company to charge a licensing fee for the Play Store and other Google apps for the first time.

The changes come in response to a July ruling by the European Commission, which fined the company $5 billion for antitrust violations and ordered it to stop “illegally tying” Chrome and search apps to Android.

Google hasn’t historically charged for Android and its app because of the revenue it gets from Chrome and search. But splitting them up changes the equation, so companies will now find themselves paying for things — like the Play Store — that we generally consider to be core parts of Android, but are in reality Google services.

So that’s what Google is doing. The base Android operating system will remain free and open-source, but if phone and tablet manufacturers want Google’s apps and the Play Store, they’ll have to pay a license fee in Europe. And they’ll now be able to license Chrome and search separately, rather than being required to accept everything as a bundle. Companies will now be able to license and install the Play Store and Google’s apps onto forked versions of Android as well — something Google used to prohibit.

To break it down:

• Android, more formally known as AOSP, or Android Open Source Project, is free.
• Chrome, in a bundle with the Google Search app, is free.
• The Play Store and Google’s other apps, like Gmail, Google Calendar, and YouTube, will cost a license fee. It is not yet clear how much that fee is or how it is structured.

 

I'm not sure this was such a good idea and I think the European Comission should have forced Google to make all their Google Apps open source on Android.

 

Although that's probably an unpopular opinion.

 

I'm hoping Android OEMs in the EEA will just eat up the new cost instead of passing it onto the consumer.

 

Source:

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/16/17984074/google-eu-android-licensing-bundle-chrome-search

 

Source for Updates:

https://www.theverge.com/2018/10/19/17999366/google-eu-android-licensing-terms

[asus killer]

my head hurts from so much craziness

[Bananasplit_00]

I'd be fine if they just shipped without the Google services, and then you just get the very few ones you actually want with openGaps or whatever

[AlTech]

1 minute ago, Bananasplit_00 said:

I'd be fine if they just shipped without the Google services, and then you just get the very few ones you actually want with openGaps or whatever

Yes but most people don't know how to install and wouldn't want to install it that way.

 

They just expect and want android devices to ship with Google Play compatibility.

[Drak3]

This is the closest thing to karma that exists.

[asus killer]

android is crap, what we need is a good alternative. Opportunity for someone to come forward.

[LinusOnLine]

I spend way to much time turning off Google stuff on my phone so sounds like great news to me

[Bouzoo]

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that what Apple has been doing with AppStore for a long time now?

Ignore this, confused it with publishing fees.

 

Can't wait for phones to become even more expensive, and the new Note X to cost $1500 cheapest.

[AlTech]

Just now, Bouzoo said:

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that what Apple has been doing with AppStore for a long time now?

Apple is the only IOS OEM so no .

 

The licensing fee here is for EEA Android OEMs which bundle Google Apps with their new Android Devices.

[AlTech]

5 minutes ago, asus killer said:

android is crap, what we need is a good alternative. Opportunity for someone to come forward.

I think Android is okay. It's just too tied down to Google. Remove all the Google parts of it and then it's actually really amazing.

 

To clarify, even stock AOSP Android is too tied down to Google imho.

[Linus_torvalds]

If i were google i would made them pay to even take a look at android! Android is Googles OS of cource it comes with it's own browser and services. The fact is chrome works the best on android. Nothing compares. Android without Google would not exist. Googles services is what makes it great OS.

 

If you do not want to use googles services then why buy android phone and use it? Just buy some phone which is compatible to Sailfish OS and use that. Sailfish as an OS is just a linux distro. Much much better then ANY other mobile OS. It's multitasking is PC level. Does not need much resources. 4 GB RAM is more then enough for it. Does not need 8 core CPU it's native code not java crap.

[Drak3]

2 minutes ago, mate_mate91 said:

chrome works the best on android.

Pfft no.

[Bouzoo]

5 minutes ago, AluminiumTech said:

Apple is the only IOS OEM so no .

 

The licensing fee here is for EEA Android OEMs which bundle Google Apps with their new Android Devices.

Yeah I know, I read it wrong. 

[Linus_torvalds]

1 minute ago, Drak3 said:

Pfft no.

Pfft yes.

 

Mind sharing what browser works better then chrome for android?

[AlTech]

7 minutes ago, mate_mate91 said:

If i were google i would made them pay to even take a look at android!

That would be a huge no no considering Android AOSP is 100% open source under Apache 2.0 License.

 

Anybody in the world legally has a right to access it and do anything they want with it as they see fit.

Quote

Android is Googles OS of cource it comes with it's own browser and services.

Android does have a default browser.

 

Chrome is Google's browser. Google should simply leave Android Browser on Android and let OEMs decide if they want to bundle Chrome.

Quote

Android without Google would not exist.

True although I'd argue Google's handling of Android has been quite awful to say the least.

Quote

Googles services is what makes it great OS.

Not really imho. Many 3rd party Android Apps and Google's proprietary apps rely on the proprietary Google Play Services but honestly I'm not a fan of it.

[AlTech]

Just now, mate_mate91 said:

Pfft yes.

 

Mind sharing what browser works better then chrome for android?

Chromium based Android browsers work just as well and the good ones are open source.

[TacoSenpai]

6 minutes ago, mate_mate91 said:

 The fact is chrome works the best on android. Nothing compares. Android without Google would not exist. Googles services is what makes it great OS.

 

If you do not want to use googles services then why buy android phone and use it? Just buy some phone which is compatible to Sailfish OS and use that. Sailfish as an OS is just a linux distro. Much much better then ANY other mobile OS. It's multitasking is PC level. Does not need much resources. 4 GB RAM is more then enough for it. Does not need 8 core CPU it's native code not java crap.

Actually isn't android mostly linux?  I realize on the surface Google services and the like make what we're accustomed to seeing but isn't it kinda the other way around in a sense?  Without Linux android wouldn't be anything? 

 

Also I find the samsung internet browser oddly enough on the galaxy line to be the fastest working I tried Firefox on mobile but it was just slow and I'm not a chrome user.

[Drak3]

2 minutes ago, mate_mate91 said:

Mind sharing what browser works better then chrome for android?

Firefox and Edge both have been far better than Chrome as far as my experience goes.

[Bouzoo]

35 minutes ago, mate_mate91 said:

Pfft yes.

 

Mind sharing what browser works better then chrome for android?

Better is subjective, but as an example, Samsung Internet. Also blocks ads with extensions. 

[Bouzoo]

Just now, Drak3 said:

Firefox

Iirc they fixed their scrolling? It was literally unusable if you ask me before that. Haven't tried it in like 6 months. 

[Drak3]

Just now, Bouzoo said:

Iirc they fixed their scrolling? It was literally unusable if you ask me before that. Haven't tried it in like 6 months. 

Never had an issue with it.

[Bouzoo]

1 minute ago, Drak3 said:

Never had an issue with it.

It wasn't smooth and felt really unnatural. For a lot of people from what I've seen online as well. It worked, but was a really bad experience imo. 

[AlTech]

Please stay on topic guys .

[iLostMyXbox21]

wait so google is gonna charge Europe to use their products that We (USA) get free?

 

 

edit: nevermind, my mind skipped over “Android OEMS”

[dtaflorida]

Sounds like they're trying to make more competition. If the Play Store didn't come with every android phone, alternatives like Amazon's app store become a lot more viable alternative, and OEMs might see incentive to open their own app stores. I think this does make for more fertile ground for competition. Imagine a world filled with Amazon Fire phones... damn that's one dystopian world.