Google confirmed to not charge OEM licensing fees for Google Mobile Services

[Jared Peters]

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Earlier today, The Guardian ran a story explaining how Google charges a licensing fee for any OEM that wants to include Google’s Mobile Services on their devices. Those services include things like Google Maps, Gmail, and the Play Store, all of which are extremely integral to what most people consider the best Android experience. Reportedly, Google charged about 75 cents per device (75k per 100,000 devices) to OEMs, which could fluctuate slightly depending on the OEM. According to 9to5 Google, however, that’s not actually the case.​

A statement made by Google officially said that they do not charge licensing fees for their mobile services. They do still have some steps and guidelines for getting a device approved to ship with Google Mobile Services, but having deeper pockets doesn’t (officially) move things along. It’s a possibility that the fees could refer to some other agreements with OEMs, which Google almost definitely makes, but those aren’t related to Google services.​

Since Google has slowly been taking core pieces of Android and moving them into their Play Services. Stock Android still has a pretty nice launcher, an okay email application, and a functional keyboard. But with Google Mobile Services, a device gets access to an excellent Gmail app, an often-updated calendar and keyboard, and a host of other fantastic apps that make Android great, and that’s not even counting the Play Store, which is arguably the most important piece of the device. A mobile operating system is only as good as its apps, right?​

It makes sense for Google to keep their services relatively free. They’re almost necessary for a device to be successful, barring things like Amazon’s Kindle lineup, so most OEMs are going to want Google services on their devices. Since most OEMs want Google services on their devices, more consumers that buy the devices are exposed to and use Google services, which gives Google more opportunities to sell ads. It’s a win-win situation, so to speak.​

I doubt we’ll ever know exactly what goes on behind the scenes with these services, but this is an interesting insight into the process, even if it’s only the tip of the iceberg.​

source: The Guardian​

via: 9to5 Google​

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