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Google has hinted at an increase in price for android phones due to the latest decision of the Competition Commission of India (CCI).Before diving into the current situation, let's understand what happened between Google and the Competition Commission of India last year because what is happening now is directly related to the past.

What happened last year?

Last year in October, CCI made Google pay a fine of $161 million and Google India paid it. What was the reason?We all know Android is a product of Google and it is an open-source operating system. CCI said that Google misuses its power and authority. Google is a huge company and it does what it likes. Yes, Android is of Google but it cannot and should not control everything.By “control” they meant there are numerous android apps in an android phone that users cannot uninstall. Google does it deliberately and obliges users. For example, You cannot uninstall Google Maps, and there are a number of google applications that you cannot uninstall from your phone.CCI wanted that people/users should be free. That’s why Google India paid the fine last year of amount 161 million dollars. Simply because India is a vast market and Google wants to do business in India. For others, it might be a huge price but for Google, it is very small to what Google earns from India. This is what happened last year. Also Read: Depressing explanations from astronauts as to why there hasn’t been a moon landing mission in 50 years after Apollo

What is the problem now?

Again the CCI has fined Google. Let’s talk about the reason. There are millions of apps on Google Play Store which are developed by their respective developers. Developers make apps for money. They want to earn money from their applications so they publish their apps on Google Play Store.

How do the developers earn money? Some apps are paid and some apps have subscription plans. Users who want to use those apps and subscriptions, need to pay through Google Play, and after paying the subscription starts from which the developer earns.Here the question arises why do users choose the Google payment system only for paying the developer or the app (same thing basically)? Why developer is bound to receive money through Google, not any other payment system?When developers receive money through Google, they have to give 30% of it to Google. If they are allowed to use any other third-party payment system then it is the possibility that they might have to share a low percentage maybe 15% or 20% of the amount. This way the developers can have more profit.Another thing that the CCI wants is for people should be free to use their search engine on their android phones. Currently, in android phones, Google Chrome comes preinstalled and is the default search engine.CCI wants users should decide for themselves which applications they want and which they don’t in their android phones. Google is not in this favor because Chrome is a Google product and this way it can advertise and show it to as many users as possible. So Google pays a fine.From a user perspective, this is not right. Users should be given full control of keeping apps on their phones. For instance, if a user does not want Play Store then he should be able to uninstall it but as we all know Play Store cannot be deleted from the phone. You can install any other third-party app store and uninstall it but Play Store is there to stay forever on our devices.

What if Google agrees to make changes in Android, how will it affect everything?

As already said, Android is an open-source system which means anyone can modify it and make changes to it. Literally, anything can be done with it. OEMs modify it according to their needs. What is OEM? OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) means those companies that make android phones such as Samsung, Nokia, etc.Android needs updates and patches from time to time. Google plays a crucial role in providing security to Android. They make and release security patches, and updates for different Android versions. Since Android is open-source, anyone can provide updates and patches. Google does not necessarily need to do this. If Google wanted, it could have left Android to its released version. Other OEMs and developers could have also made the updates as per their requirements.But still, Google persists to provide the updates. This makes android phones cheaper. Did you get it? No? Let me explain.If Google ceases to provide updates and patches then mobile manufacturing companies need to make these updates by themselves for each of their phones. For this, they will need to hire developers and make investments in the necessary resources. All money that these companies will invest will indirectly come through our pockets. This means after so much investment, they will surely sell the phone at a high price and we will buy it because we don’t have any option. This is how android phones will be expensive.Currently, if there is any malfunction in Android then Google provides all the updates and patches. Google does not get much financial aid from phone manufacturing companies but still does the work. Because Google wants to make the Android ecosystem better.Google India had a court hearing on Monday 16th of January, 2023 on this matter.Also Read: The biggest cryptocurrency attacks and hacks of 2022

What is Google say about this?

According to the news Agency Reuters, Google says that it will do more harm than good in digital adoption where every second person has an android phone and is connected to the internet. And this will not just impact the users but also the ecosystem of device manufacturers and developers.The Android mobile platform, which has been among us for the past 14–15 years, will need to undergo significant adjustments, according to the statement.

What happened during the court hearing on 16 Jan. 2023?

CCI's attorney Mukul Rohatgi said at the court proceeding on Monday (January 16) that Google is unwilling to make payment. However, it had already paid a fine to the European court in the same case.CCI’s lawyers also said that Google paid over 4 billion euros in an EU case in 2017 and in India they are refusing because India is a third-world country.The next court hearing is on Wednesday (18 January).

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Recently we heard that Google is planning to retrieve its Android Messages app from the uncertified handset models in the upcoming months. According to XDA-Developers, some code snippets tell Google might disallow uncertified handset models to use its Google Messages application. The code snippets also suggest that Google may put this new rule into practice from March 31, 2021.

It is really sad news for those users who are using uncertified Android phones as they wouldn’t be able to utilize the native Google Messages application on their mobiles. Countless cheap Android handsets are not certified by Google for using its Android operating systems. If Google literally disables its Messages app for such phones, it will affect millions of Android users worldwide.

Google will target all those smartphones that Google has not verified for using its operating system and mobile services. According to some reports, Google hasn’t verified 2019’s Huawei mobile phones, so all of these handsets will not be able to use Messages.

What is Messages?

The Messages is Google’s native SMS and instant messaging app for Android devices. The company launched this application in 2014. Users can also access their messages on a computer by navigating to messages.google.com.

If you wish to access your phone’s SMS application on a computer, open an internet browser on a computer and then navigate to messages.google.com. After that, you have to find and select the button that says, ‘Messages for web.’ Now you will see a new window on your browser. Simply follow the instructions on your screen. That is how you can access the Messages application on a computer.

Messages Shutting Down on All Uncertified Handsets

Currently, there is no official report from Google itself on this matter, and it is just a hint that XDA-Developers got from the recent Google Messages code snippets.

Gladly, one other Google’s application might soon arrive for uncertified Android users so that they can continue receiving and sending messages. According to 9to5Google, the Google Duo application will also stop working on the unverified Android devices. Android devices that are not certified by Google to use its mobile services may not support the Messages and Google Duo applications in the future.

Currently, there is no exact confirmation from Google regarding when this change will take place. Messages is one of the most crucial applications for mobile users as it allows them to receive, send, and read text messages on Android devices. Currently, there is no other app comparable to Google’s Messages app.

However, there are some third party applications available that might provide unverified devices with basic texting functions. For example, Truecaller is capable of functioning as a default texting app on Android phones. So, even if Google strips off the Messages app from some users, they are not completely helpless as they can set up a third-party text app.

When the XDA Developers team was checking the snippet codes in Messages 7.7.203, they came across the information regarding the app’s future plan. They saw that the app would stop its support for unverified devices from March 31, 2021.

Many smartphone manufacturers use Google mobile services on their handsets without certifying their smartphones by Google to use their mobile services. They typically sideload the Google iconic SMS app. Since this app doesn’t require Google account registration, it works effectively even without certification from Google. However, it now seems like Google has decided to strip off its SMS app from such devices. These uncertified devices have no right to use Google’s mobile services, and this is why Google is taking this initiative.

It could be a critical warning for mobile manufacturing companies so that they never use Google’s services without proper rights.

We hope this article was helpful and interesting. Whatever we got to learn about the Android SMS app’s future, we thought it would be better to share it with everyone. Thank you for staying here with us for a moment.