To fully understand the UK’s new regulatory action against Google’s search monopoly, one must look at the company’s dominance in the mobile world through its Android operating system. The Competition and Market Authority’s (CMA) separate investigation into mobile platforms is a tacit acknowledgement that these two markets are deeply and inextricably linked.
Google Search’s 90%+ market share is not just an accident of quality; it is heavily reinforced by Google’s control over Android, the world’s most popular mobile OS. On the vast majority of smartphones in the UK (that aren’t iPhones), Google’s apps, including Search and Chrome, are pre-installed and set as the default, a powerful advantage that competitors find almost impossible to overcome.
This creates a self-reinforcing loop. More users on Android lead to more search queries for Google, which generates more data to improve its search and AI algorithms, which in turn makes its search product better, further cementing its dominance. This mobile advantage effectively starves rivals of the scale and data they need to compete effectively.
The CMA’s dual investigations signal a sophisticated understanding of this dynamic. By tackling search with one hand and investigating mobile platforms with the other, the regulator is attempting a pincer movement. Rules imposed on search, like “choice screens,” could be made even more effective by parallel rules on the mobile OS itself, such as preventing the pre-installation of a single dominant search app.
Therefore, while the current focus is on the search designation, the real endgame for UK regulators may be to address the foundational source of Google’s power: its deep integration into the mobile devices that are now the primary gateway to the internet for most people.
