The European Commission has been investigating the Google Play app store since March, focusing on what the regulator says are technical restrictions that prevent app developers from directing users to other channels for offers as well as a too-high service fee for facilitating new customer acquisitions, Reuters reported Wednesday (Dec. 10).
While Google made changes to its app store in August to address these issues, the European Commission believes they fall short of what is needed, the report said, citing unnamed sources.
Asked by Reuters about the report, a Google spokesperson said: “We continue to work closely with the European Commission in its ongoing investigation but have serious concerns that further changes would put Android and Play users at risk of malware, scams and data theft.”
It was reported in August that Google made changes to Google Play in response to a warning from EU regulators, aiming to prevent future penalties.
The changes included the Google Play store updating its external offers program in the EU to allow links to download developers’ own external apps and to let developers select ongoing service tiers.
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Google said at the time in a post on its support page: “As part of our continued compliance with the EU Digital Markets Act, we have made additional updates to our external offers program to offer more flexibility for developers while balancing trust and safety needs across the ecosystem.”
Wednesday’s report came a day after the European Commission announced another antitrust investigation of Google. In that case, the regulator is looking into whether the company hindered competition by imposing unfair conditions on content creators and by giving its own artificial intelligence model an edge over competitors.
Google is also dealing with competition issues the European Commission identified in the company’s advertising technology operations earlier this year. Google handed the Commission its proposal for fixing the issues in November, for EU officials to assess whether these suggested changes resolve long-standing concerns.
