Likethe EU before it, India ruled that Google’s practice of forcing manufacturers to bundle a certain set of Google apps by default was anti-competitive. Google has to make big changes to the way it distributes Android in India, and while we already knowthe set of rules the company has to adhere to, we’re still in the dark about how exactly Google plans to implement them. That’s where prolific Google leaker Kuba Wojciechowski comes in, giving us a look at how much different Android phones might soon feel in India.
According to the tipster, Google will no longer require manufacturers to include a certain set of Google apps on their devices. The only app that’s required is the Play Store, save for other vital pre-installed components like the Play services, which are necessary for many APIs that other apps use, including the ability to send notifications and use location data. A manufacturer can still choose to add more Google apps to their devices, though, and Google will pay out a bounty to manufacturers who choose to pre-install the same 11 apps that are required internationally and add them to the home screen.
To make these rules possible, Google is introducing a new Mobile Application Distribution Agreement (MADA) for India, which is called IMADA for short. Indian manufacturers are free to pick between these two, though there is a caveat. Only when they opt for the international MADA agreement will they be able to sell and distribute identical phones with identical software outside of India. The IMADA rules join the growing set of regional MADAs, like EMADA for the European Economic Area or TMADA for Turkey. There is also a special version of MADA for Russia and Belarus.
IMADA also gets rid of another requirement that’s still in place in other MADAs. Manufacturers will no longer have to include the Google search widget, a Google folder with Google apps, the Play Store app, and a collection of specific Google apps in the bottom row of the home screen. If a manufacturer still chooses to include the Google search app, a screen will have to appear during setup that will allow the user to pick their preferred search engine themselves. This requirement also exists in the European version of MADA.
Overall, this will give manufacturers a lot more freedom over which apps to preload their phones with, all without hindering users from getting their preferred Google apps at a later stage. It remains to be seen whether manufacturers will take advantage of this, though. The bounty Google is offering will likely be tempting for many, and since IMADA makes it harder to sell and distribute identical devices in other parts of the world, many manufacturers might prefer to stick with the international MADA that lets them sell their products in different countries without having to create different software releases.
