The Android-iOS competition might be an invention of the media as opposed to being a genuine battle between two of the smartphone industry’s top players
The Motorola DROID was the first Android phone to challenge the iPhone
It also states that “Google’s persistent monopoly is the result of deliberate efforts by Google to achieve and maintain it.” The document additionally reveals that the Alphabet subsidiary uses its huge size to force third-party firms into making agreements that could be considered “anti-competitive.”
Perhaps the most interesting part of the document discusses Google’s relationship with Apple. As many of you know, Google pays Apple a reported $8 billion to $12 billion annually to install Google Search on iOS, and therein lies the truth behind the Google-Apple relationship. As Epic Game notes in its filing, “Moreover, the close relationship that Google maintains with Apple further reduces Google’s incentive to compete, innovate, and invest in app distribution because Google benefits by cooperating with its competitor Apple.”
Epic might have an easier time proving that Google and Apple are running a duopoly with a combined 99% smartphone market share
With Android and iOS together making up a 99% share of the global smartphone market, Epic should be able to prove in court that between Apple and Google, the pair have a duopoly of the mobile industry.
In a statement, Google told iMore that “The open Android ecosystem lets developers distribute apps through multiple app stores. For game developers who choose to use the Play Store, we have consistent policies that are fair to developers and keep the store safe for users. While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies. We will continue to defend ourselves against these meritless claims.”
