So by enabling dozens of hardware companies to literally exist and make a ton of money, they are a monopoly? So they're being punished for being open and sharing their OS with others?

Nope, it's for blocking others to create alternative play stores on non-google devices.

IIRC, manufacturers are required to install Play Services on either all of their devices or none of them. That's a pretty important anti-competitive bit.

> Play Store is optional for manufacturers.

Wouldn't that make it less of a monopoly then?

Not when you're paying for it to be non-optional.

Somebody else could pay them to put their store on? I don't understand. The fact that you get to make a deal for money seems strictly more free-market than the alternative.

As someone living in a third world country and seeing that happening in many sectors, it's the second quickest way to market degeneration (the first is straight up threats of violence).

You really do not want people paying to block competition from arising.

You would rather have them block competition without paying? I really don't understand.

Or are you saying the iPhone app store has competition?

Google pays for the OEM to pre-install the Google Play store, not for them to disallow alternative stores. "Paying for it to be non-optional" is a bit misleading. Users always have the option.

So Google is free to block third party App Stores on a Pixel?