Google apps no longer bundled with Play Store on Android in India

Not sure if this one slipped under the radar. Yesterday, the supreme court judge in India ruled that Android phones can now be sold with only the Play Store (Reuters article). It is no longer needed to bundle apps like Gmail, Chrome and YouTube. Also, it must be possible to uninstall any app. On top of that, Google was fined $161M.

This is a significant development for two specific reasons.

1) India is a key growth market for Google. Simply put, there is no way Google can turn its back on India.

2) This court case sets a precedent for other jurisdictions around the world. Even the DMA/DSA in the EU do not have such far reaching implications.

And rumor on the street is that Google will be sued in the US soon.