Google was recently forced to agree to make some changes to the Play Store in India to comply with the country’s legal requirements. Now according to AndroidAuthority, tipster Kuba Wojciechowski has discovered an internal document detailing all the changes that will apply to Android phones in India.
Android phones in India don’t need them
According to the document, the Indian market will have a version of Google Mobile Services (GMS) with optional Google apps. Handset makers will have the option to choose either the Indian version of the Mobile Application Distribution Agreement (IMADA) or the regular Mobile Application Distribution Agreement (MADA) version for other markets.
If handset manufacturers choose IMADA, they will only be able to sell these handsets in India. Thus IMADA is optional, unlike other countries’ MADA agreements where the provisions are mandatory (e.g. EMADA in Europe, or TMADA in Turkey, etc.).
In the Indian version of MADA, there will be a requirement to reduce the number of pre-installed user-facing applications. The regular MADA agreement includes 11 pre-installed Google apps, but for the Indian market, only the Google Play app store is required. Of course, OEMs will be allowed to pre-install other apps if they wish.
Google will set a per-app bounty for devices with any of the 11 core apps (those required for the global version of Android phones) pre-installed, but how high the bounty will be is unknown, but the exact terms of the per-app bounty may be negotiated with the phone manufacturer.
IMADA also does not require the inclusion of a Google search bar, Google folders or Play Store icon on the phone’s home screen. And, Indian users will be able to select the default search engine during the setup process. This feature will reportedly be available from the second quarter of this year.
Phones with the IMADA protocol can only be sold in India, so why would Android phones be different in India? Last year the Indian Supreme Court fined Google for anti-competitive behavior. Google tried to appeal the court’s decision, but the court rejected its appeal. In short, Google had to change the way its services worked in India if it wanted to be allowed to use them in the country.
Google then announced a number of significant changes it plans to make to comply with the country’s laws. For example, Google will license its own apps to third-party manufacturers so they can pre-install them on their Android phones. Starting this month, developers will be allowed to include their preferred payment system for in-app purchases in their apps and games, which will eliminate the need for developers to pay the so-called “Google tax”.
In addition, changes to the way sideloading and installing other app stores on Android are part of Google’s plan to focus on educating users about the possible risks of sideloading. In addition, Android users in India will receive help and FAQ articles about these changes so that everyone can understand them.
