Google Suspends Access to Android for New Smartphones in Turkey

After the Turkish competition regulator ruled that Google has failed to comply with a request to allow users to choose search engines, Google has suspended access to Android for new smartphones released by its partners in Turkey, according to report by Reuters.

The company said in a statement that it had informed its Turkish partners it would “not be able to work with them on new Android phones“ for the country, although current smartphones using the OS won’t be affected. Google added it was working with the Turkish Competition Authority to resolve the matter.

Troubles for Google in Turkey began in September 2018 when the regulator hit it with a TRY93 million ($15.9 million) fine relating to its mobile software sales. At the time, Hurriyet Daily News reported Google was given six months to “reinstall effective competition“. Last month, the authority claimed the changes Google made to contracts with local business partners were not satisfying and still failed to allow amendments to the default search engine on Android devices.

The regulator has ordered Google to pay 0.05 percent of its revenue per day until it complied with the order to offer a choice of search engines. The payments are deferred for 60 days to allow Google to challenge the decision.