Google’s restrictions on Android Auto access may violate EU rules: court adviser

Google: Representative image

2 minutes of reading Last update: 05/09/2024 | 17:43 IST

An advisor to Europe’s highest court has sided with Italy’s antitrust authority and said Google’s refusal to allow an e-mobility app developed by Enel to access its Android Auto platform could breach competition rules.

Italy’s antitrust regulator fined Alphabet’s Google €102 million ($113.2 million) in 2021 for blocking Enel’s JuicePass app on Android Auto, which lets drivers navigate using maps on their car’s dashboard and send messages while driving.

“Google’s refusal to provide third parties with access to the Android Auto platform may violate competition law,” said court advocate general Laila Medina.

Medina found that an undertaking abuses its dominant position if its conduct excludes, hinders or delays the access of an application developed by a third-party operator to the platform, provided that such conduct is likely to have anti-competitive effects to the detriment of consumers and is not objectively justified.

Google, which cited security concerns and the lack of a specific template to justify its refusal to adapt JuicePass to Android Auto and appealed to the Italian Council of State, said it had already taken steps to resolve the issue.

“We take note of the Advocate General’s opinion and await the Court’s final decision. We have been working since the beginning of this case to add the template that Enel requested, and many similar apps are already available globally on Android Auto,” a Google spokesperson said.

The CJEU judges who will rule in the coming months tend to follow most of these non-binding opinions. The case is called C-233/23 Alphabet and Others.

First published: 05/09/2024 | 17:43 IST