Google fined $55m in Australia over Android search limits

Google Asia-Pacific will pay US$55 million in penalties after the Federal Court ratified a penalty agreed with the ACCC over anti-competitive conduct involving Telstra and Optus and pre-installed search engines on Android phones.

The court decision followed legal action by the ACCC, with Google Asia-Pacific admitting to the conduct and cooperating with the regulator in joint submissions on the penalty.

From December 2019 to March 2021, Google Asia-Pacific had agreements with Telstra and Optus that ensured only Google Search was pre-installed on Android devices sold by these telcos, with both telcos receiving a share of Google’s ad revenue.

Telstra, Optus, and TPG were not included in the court case as they had previously given court-enforceable undertakings to the ACCC.

🔗 Source: StartupDaily

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

Australia’s undertaking differs from the EU’s browser and search choice screens

Google LLC, plus Google Asia-Pacific, agreed on 18 August 2025 to drop some pre-install limits in Android deals with phone makers in Australia 1. It also removes default search limits in contracts with phone makers and telcos (telecommunications carriers) 1. The ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) has not said if this will require a choice screen that lets users pick a default search engine like the EU’s DMA rollout 2.
The EU’s DMA asks Android users to pick a default search provider during setup via a choice screen rolled out in March 2024 2. Aloha, a privacy-focused mobile browser, saw 250% more new users and Opera rose 63% from February to March 2024 3.
Europe tried an Android choice screen in 2020, and Google’s mobile search share still sits above 95% 4.

Search rivals can model gains from EU DMA data

Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Yahoo can study EU choice screen picks to forecast opt-in rates plus revenue, then plan telco partnership bids in Australia 3.
Android OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) plus mobile network operators in Australia can set search per device 1. They can also sign with multiple providers, opening room for pre-install deals and revenue-share terms once blocked by Google’s exclusive deals 1.
Marketing tech firms and app developers should prepare for more varied defaults, since telcos may pick different search services by model 1.