Google is to begin asking new and existing Android users in Europe which browser and search apps they would like to use on their device, in a move no doubt designed to ward off the threat of any further fines from the European Commission. Last July, Google was hit with a €4.3bn fine by the EU for forcing mobile operators to install Chrome and Google Search as the default browser and search service respectively on most Android devices sold in Europe.

In a blog post, Kent Walker, Google’s SVP of global affairs, noted that: “On Android phones, you’ve always been able to install any search engine or browser you want, irrespective of what came pre-installed on the phone when you bought it. In fact, a typical Android phone user will usually install around 50 additional apps on their phone.”

This latest move goes one step further by flagging the fact that other browsers and search engines are available. But Dr. Marc Al-Hames, managing director of Cliqz, a developer of data protection-oriented search and browser technologies and a subsidiary of Mozilla, says the jury is out on whether it will have the impact it could have. He said: “We welcome the fact that Google is giving in to pressure from the EU antitrust authorities. Whether this really will lead to fair competition depends on the configuration of the browser and search engine selection.

“The crucial question is whether data protection-friendly European apps with independent business model, code base and search index such as Cliqz will be offered prominently or if vendors that either depend on Google or Microsoft will get an advantage in the selection position. Otherwise, the monopoly will only become a US duopoly with a lot of Google and and a little Microsoft.”

Separately, Google has revealed that in response to the EU fine, it changed the licensing model for the Google apps it builds for use on Android phones, creating new, separate licenses for Google Play, the Google Chrome browser, and for Google Search, giving device makers the freedom to install any app of their choice as an alternative to Google’s own.