Google to allow rival search engines on Android, but there’s a price

Alphabet Inc’s Google will allow rivals to compete to be the default search engines on new Android devices in Europe, but they will have to pay for the privilege.

In its latest proposal to ward off fresh EU antitrust penalties, Google on Friday announced plans to auction spots on a “choice screen” from which users will select their preferred search engine.

The move comes a year after the European Commission fined the US tech giant 4.34 billion euros (USD 4.81 billion) for blocking rivals by pre-installing its Chrome browser and search app on Android smartphones and notebooks.