Google Probed by Swiss Regulator Over Android Default Search Feature

Switzerland’s competition watchdog has opened a new front against Google.

On July 14, the Competition Commission, known as COMCO, said it launched a preliminary investigation into Google’s decision to strip the Android “Choice Screen” out of the Swiss market, per Reuters.

The feature, which lets users select a default search engine when setting up a new Android device, remains active elsewhere in Europe.

Google reportedly confirmed it is aware of the inquiry and said it would cooperate, as COMCO weighs whether the move breaches Switzerland’s Cartel Act.

This escalating antitrust scrutiny arrives just as Google continues to clean up separate legal headaches across its other major platforms 

COMCO Opens Preliminary Probe Into Google’s Choice Screen Removal

The Choice Screen normally appears during the initial setup of a new Android device, letting users choose their preferred search engine instead of defaulting to Google Search. 

COMCO said Google removed this option specifically in Switzerland, even as it stayed in place across other European markets, Reuters reported. 

With the screen gone, Google Search is effectively imposed as the default for Swiss users setting up new smartphones. 

A Google spokesperson said the company looks forward to cooperating fully with the authority to address its questions, Reuters noted. 

COMCO’s preliminary investigation will determine whether there are signs of unlawful competition under Swiss law before deciding whether to open a formal proceeding, a process with no public timeline. 

Google’s Dominant Position Sharpens the Stakes

COMCO’s concern centers on how much power default settings hold in digital markets. 

The authority said they play a decisive role for consumers, and removing the opt-out screen reduces the visibility of search engines competing with Google from the moment users set up a device. 

The concern is amplified by Google’s market position, with the company controlling 82% of Switzerland’s search market, according to Statcounter data cited by Reuters. 

COMCO warned that the change “could affect the ability of search engine providers and, more broadly, other digital service providers to compete.” 

This reinforces regulators’ view that default placement affects competition, echoing claims by Aptoide, which sued Google earlier this year over alleged harm to the competitive app store market. 

Part of a Broader European Antitrust Pattern

The Android Choice Screen itself is not new. Google introduced it after the European Commission’s 2018 Android antitrust decision, which found the company had abused its dominant position in mobile operating systems and app stores. 

That case has continued to reverberate this year: the European Court of Justice dismissed Google’s final appeal on July 2, permanently upholding a roughly €4.1 billion fine tied to the same conduct. 

Switzerland is outside the European Union and enforces its own Cartel Act through COMCO, meaning the probe follows a separate legal track from Brussels despite targeting the same feature. 

The timing puts Google’s Choice Screen practices under scrutiny in two European jurisdictions within the same month, with the company’s cooperative response suggesting it plans to engage with COMCO rather than challenge the preliminary probe.

Source: Google probed by Swiss regulator over Android default search feature