Google will stop bundling its apps on Android phones in response to EU fine

Sanjeev Verma | Hindustan Times | Getty Images

A representative from Panasonic holds the Panasonic Eluga U smartphone, using the latest Android Kitkat operating system, during its launch in New Delhi, India.

In response to the European Union’s $5 billion antitrust ruling in July, Google will stop bundling its apps on Android phones and charge a licensing fee for phone makers that want to pre-install apps like Gmail, Maps, and YouTube in the EU.

Google will also end restrictions on phone makers selling modified or “forked” versions of the mobile operating system.

Previously, Google tied together a suite of 11 different apps, which phone makers would have to pre-install if they wanted to license its app store, Play. In July, the EU ruled that this bundling was anti-competitive, though it only specifically called for Google to separate Chrome and Search from Play.

In response, Google will offer separate licenses for Search and Chrome and will start charging phone makers a fee to pre-install apps like Maps, Gmail, and Docs, to offset the development costs of the Android operating system, which it offers for free.

“Since the pre-installation of Google Search and Chrome together with our other apps helped us fund the development and free distribution of Android, we will introduce a new paid licensing agreement for smartphones and tablets shipped into the EEA [European Economic Area],” the company said in a blog post.

These changes will come into effect on October 29.