Google is fighting a record €4.3bn ($4.9bn; £3.8bn) fine for allegedly using the Android operating system to "cement its dominance" as a search engine. In July, the European Commission said Google's Android policies had "denied rivals the chance to innovate and compete". The company could face further fines if it does not change its practices. Google's appeal could take several years. "We have now filed our appeal," the company said in a statement reported by the Financial Times. Google was accused of acting illegally because: Google's version of Android does not prevent device owners downloading alternative web browsers or using other search engines. But the EU's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, said only 1% of users downloaded a competing search app, and 10% a different browser. "Once you have it, it is working, very few are curious enough to look for another search app or browser," she said in July. Following the fine, Google chief executive, Sundar Pichai, said Android had enabled "rapid innovation, wide choice, and falling prices". He said the decision "rejects the business model that supports Android, which has created more choice for everyone, not less". The company was given until the end of October to make changes to Android that would satisfy the EU's demands.It told the Financial Times that it had no plans to ask the EU to change that deadline. In 2017, Google faced similar complaints from the Russian regulator. It now offers Android users in Russia a choice between Google, Yandex and Mail.ru as the default search engine the first time they use the Chrome browser. Yandex in particular appears to have benefited from this change. Since the change in June 2017, the Moscow-based company has seen its share of mobile search rise from about 34% to 46%, according to Statcounter.
Google is appealing the record € 4.9bn ($ 4.9bn ) fine which was imposed in July when the Google Search claimed that the company’s Android policies had "denied rivals the chance to innovate and compete". Google was accused of acting illegally because: pre-installation of the European Commission app and web browser Chrome was a condition of access to the Play app store; Google made payments to manufacturers and mobile network operators to ensure exclusive pre-installation of the Google Search ; Google prevented manufacturers selling smart devices powered by alternative Google Search versions by threatening to refuse permission to pre-install apps.