Google has made many changes to its Android system in India after losing the anti-trust case in the country. India is one of the biggest markets for Google with 97% of over 600 million smartphones in the country running on the Android operating system. Let us see the major changes that the tech giant has announced to its Android system in India as it was announced on Google India Blog.

Key Changes to Android System in India

• OEMs will be able to license individual Google apps for pre-installation on their devices.
• Android users have always been able to customize their devices to suit their preferences. Indian users will now have the option to choose their default search engine via a choice screen that will soon start to appear when a user sets up a new Android smartphone or tablet in India.
• We’re updating the Android compatibility requirements to introduce changes for partners to build non-compatible or forked variants.
• User choice billing will be available to all apps and games starting next month. Through user choice billing, developers can offer users the option to choose an alternative billing system alongside Google Play’s billing system when purchasing in-app digital content.
• Android has always supported the installation of apps from a variety of sources, including via sideloading, which involves app downloads directly from a developer’s website. We recently made changes to the Android installation flow and auto-updating capability for sideloaded apps and app stores while ensuring users understand the potential security risks.

This confirms that Android phone users in India will now be able to choose a default search engine which will be provided during the initial setup of the smartphone. The manufacturers in India will now be able to license Google apps on an individual basis, a departure from the company’s all-or-nothing GMS licensing system. This will make the OEMs include Google apps if they want access to Play Store.

The Indian Government has been strict with Google considering its market positioning and strategies and it has forced the tech giant to make these changes to the Indian market. You can head out to Google India Blog to get more information on the same.