According to the latest report on Reuters, Google has stopped licensing Android smartphones for sale in Turkey, meaning new Android devices will no longer enjoy the perks of Google Mobile Services (GMS). The development closely follows the Turkish competition regulator’s decision to impose a 93 million lira (~$17.4 million) fine on Google for failing to comply with the law. Even as Google responded by making significant changes to its arrangements with its local business partners, the regulatory body was far from impressed.
In its official statement, Google said that it will not approve licensing requests for new Android smartphones in Turkey, meaning the devices will lack some crucial features like Google Play Store, YouTube, and Gmail. However, the company clarified that existing smartphone models do not come under this purview. “Existing models will continue to receive updates as usual. Google’s other services will remain unaffected”, read Google’s statement.
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Google further mentioned that it is actively in talks with the Turkish regulatory body to try and resolve the situation. The company also urged its business partners to pressurize the country’s trade minister and the competition authority to revoke its decision. “Google is aware of the complications that arise from its decisions and understands the problems generated for consumers, app developers, manufacturers, and carriers. We expect to arrive at a conclusion with the TCA soon”. Google said the company already restructured its contract with local partners, allowing greater flexibility on how smartphone manufacturers preload Google’s revenue-generating apps on their devices.
The Turkish competition authority opened its first investigation into Google back in 2017, following a complaint by Yandex. The investigation found Google guilty of abusing its dominant position by making it difficult for its partners to conduct business. The regulatory body instructed the company to sort out the problems that had been identified within six months while imposing a fine in September 2018. Although Google made a few significant changes to its business contracts based on the findings in August 2019, the TCA remained dissatisfied with Google’s efforts and imposed a fine of 0.05% of the company’s revenue per day till the issues were finally resolved.
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