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`OAcial Blog
`Insights from Googlers into our products,
`technology, and the Google culture
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`Android has helped create more choice and innovation on mobile than
`ever before
`April 15, 2015
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`It's hard to believe, but smartphones barely existed ten years ago. People used feature
`phones, which had very basic functionality, and were a nightmare for developers. The only
`way to build apps was device by device and platform by platform—Google had a closet full of
`hundreds of phones that we tested one by one each time we wanted to launch new software.
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`Android was born from this frustration. We hoped that by offering a great, free open-source
`operating system, we could turbocharge innovation by allowing manufacturers and
`developers to focus on what they do best. At the time, most people thought this plan was
`nuts.
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`Fast forward to today. The pace of mobile innovation has never been greater. Smartphones
`are being adopted globally at an increasingly fast pace, with over hundreds of millions
`shipped each quarter, and the average smartphone price fell 23% between 2012 and 2014.
`It’s now possible to purchase a powerful smartphone, without subsidies or contracts, for
`under $100. And the app ecosystem has exploded, giving consumers more choice than ever
`before.
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`Android has been a key player in spurring this competition and choice, lowering prices and
`increasing choice for everyone (there are over 18,000 different devices available today);
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`It’s an open-source operating system that can be used free-of-charge by anyone
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`—that’s right, literally anyone. And it’s not just phones. Today people are building
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`almost anything with Android—including tablets, watches, TVs, cars, and more.
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`Some Android devices use Google services, and others do not.
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`Our Google Play store contains over one million apps and we paid out over $7
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`billion in revenue over the past year to developers and content publishers.
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`Apps that compete directly with Google such as Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft
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`OAce, and Expedia are easily available to Android users. Indeed many of these
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`apps come pre-loaded onto Android devices in addition to Google apps. The
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`recent Samsung S6 is a great example of this, including pre-installed apps from
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`Facebook, Microsoft, and Google.
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`Developers have a choice of platforms and over 80% of developers are building
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`apps for several different mobile operating systems.
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`The European Commission has asked questions about our partner agreements. It's important
`to remember that these are voluntary—again, you can use Android without Google—but
`provide real benebts to Android users, developers and the broader ecosystem.
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`Anti-fragmentation agreements, for example, ensure apps work across all sorts of different
`Android devices. (After all, it would be pretty frustrating if an app you downloaded on one
`phone didn’t also work on your eventual replacement phone.) And our app distribution
`agreements make sure that people get a great "out of the box" experience with useful apps
`right there on the home screen (how many of us could get through our day without maps or
`email?). This also helps manufacturers of Android devices compete with Apple, Microsoft
`and other mobile ecosystems that come preloaded with similar baseline apps. And
`remember that these distribution agreements are not exclusive, and Android manufacturers
`install their own apps and apps from other companies as well. And in comparison to Apple—
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`the world’s most probtable (mobile) phone company—there are far fewer Google apps pre-
`installed on Android phones than Apple apps on iOS devices.
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`We are thankful for Android’s success and we understand that with success comes scrutiny.
`But it's not just Google that has benebted from Android's success. The Android model has let
`manufacturers compete on their unique innovations. Developers can reach huge audiences
`and build strong businesses. And consumers now have unprecedented choice at ever-lower
`prices. We look forward to discussing these issues in more detail with the European
`Commission over the months ahead.
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`Posted by Hiroshi Lockheimer, VP of Engineering, Android
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