Google lets rivals bid to power Android searches in EEA

Android phone and tablet users in the European Union are to be given a chance to install one of Google's rivals as default search provider.

But to be offered as an option, search firms will have to compete over what to pay Google if users select them, BBC News reports.

The decision to offer a choice when setting up devices comes after Google was fined heavily by the European Commission for abusing its position.

But one competitor has warned that users might lose out as a result.

"If the highest bidder wins the contract and not the best search engine, then the user is the biggest loser," said Dr Marc Al-Hames, chief executive at Cliqz, a search firm based in Munich, Germany.

"The choice should be about selecting the most private or innovative provider."

It has now said that, beginning in 2020, Android users in the European Economic Area (EEA) - a broader market than the EU - will be shown a screen giving them a choice of four possible search providers to use as default on their devices.

One of these options will always be Google but the other three will be chosen from the highest-bidding rival search firms.

A separate bidding process will exist for each country.