Google has agreed to pay $8 billion to Samsung over four years in order to make its apps the default on Samsung phones, according to court testimony from James Kolotouros, Google’s vice president for partnerships. The information was presented in the ongoing trial between Google and Epic Games, the maker of “Fortnite,” which alleges that Google’s app marketplace violates antitrust laws. Epic is trying to demonstrate that Google has discouraged third-party app stores on Samsung devices to protect the profits of its own Google Play store. The trial is expected to continue until the end of the year.
https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4309219-google-paid-8-billion-to-make-its-apps-default-on-samsung-phones/