Google Given More Time to Reply to EU Antitrust Charge on Android

Alphabet's Google has been given two more weeks to counter EU antitrust charges that it uses its dominant Android mobile operating system to block competitors, the European Commission said on Thursday.

The EU competition enforcer in April accused the US technology giant of harming consumers because of its demand that mobile phone makers pre-install Google Search and the Google Chrome browser on their smartphones to access other Google apps.

Google was initially given until July 27 to respond to the charges but asked for an extension to September 7.

"On Android, the last deadline set by the Commission for Google's reply, after an extension request by Google, is September 20," a European Commission spokesman said in an email.

Google can be fined up to $7.4 billion (roughly Rs. 49,684 crores) or 10 percent of its global turnover if found guilty of breaching EU rules.

It also faces charges of favouring its shopping service over those of rivals in Internet search results and blocking competitors in online search advertising.

© Thomson Reuters 2016