The Government of India recently ruled that Google could not force OEMs to ship their library of apps in order to create equal opportunities for others. There were tons of devices that were set to be default which was said to be anti-competitive. Google happily complied with the regulation and now OEMs have a choice of which Google app they want to bundle.
India is a leading smartphone market across the globe, and for Samsung, it’s a key market. As Samsung always wants to have a replacement for Android by releasing the clone app and making a custom skin to make it clear that they are using a Samsung smartphone.
This will come into effect with a MADA (Mobile Application Distribution Agreement), written specifically for India. It has certain conditions that also apply to regions including Europe, Turkey, Russia, and Belarus. This agreement will have an option to choose which apps, folders, and widgets manufacturers want to ship, as well as the placement of the Play Store. Even though it’s not mandatory to set Google as the default, it will now give users an option to choose which search engine they want to use on their device while setting it up.
Worth mentioning, the IMADA also states that the manufacturer will allow selling their device with the exact same software in different markets. They have to design a specific version of software for India. So, if they are under MADA, they will have to do it, as India is one of the largest markets. And if they want to continue, they have to do it, and every OEM wants to bring various services.
After having a big opportunity, Samsung is unlikely to remove Google apps from their Galaxy Device. According to Kuba Wojciechowski, a well-known leaker, Google will no longer force OEMs to bundle their apps, including Chrome, Drive, Gmail, YouTube, Google Photos, Meet, and some other apps. However, they obviously have PlayStore, which is required for several functionalities.
Samsung could take a chance by signing with IMADA, but Samsung isn’t going to do so as we have seen recently that they have good relations with Google. The company has also started using WearOS, and Google has allowed Samsung to custom build their messaging app with Google Message code and even several exclusive features. Also, with Android 14, Google has integrated the Google Health and Samsung Health connect feature into the system apps.
It doesn’t seem like Samsung is going to remove any of Google’s apps as of now, even though users would prefer to have fewer pre-installed apps. Not to mention, users have the option to uninstall, and even Android 14 will have the option to uninstall the bootloader from their device.
