Charges said to be near in EU Android case

European regulators are moving closer charging Google with competition violations related to its Android operating system, according to several reports.

Reuters reported on Monday that charges were on their way. The wire service’s report closely echoed a Financial Times story last week that reported that the European Union’s competition regulator was requesting that parties involved in the case respond to informational queries within 24 hours.

{mosads}The case stems from concerns that Google uses restrictive contracts that pushes hardware manufacturers to include its applications on smartphones running the Android operating system. Critics say this could hurt competitors in the marketplace.

But it is still unclear where, exactly, EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager would focus her attention should a formal charging document materialize. Reuters reported that she said Monday that the regulator’s “concern is that by requiring phone makers and operators to pre-load a set of Google apps, rather than letting them decide for themselves which apps to load, Google might have cut off one of the main ways that new apps can reach customers.”

The outlet also reported that she said that regulators were “looking into the question of tying, but tying in itself is not necessarily a problem.” 

Google says it doesn’t push anyone to use its applications.

“Anyone can use Android, with or without Google applications,” said a spokesperson in a statement. “Hardware manufacturers and carriers can decide how to use Android and consumers have the last word about which apps they want to use on their devices. We continue to discuss this with the European Commission.”

Vestager has aggressively pursued U.S. tech companies, drawing the ire of some critics who say the focus belies a larger bias against powerhouse American firms. She has denied any such motivations.

Google has already been charged with competition violations by European regulators over allegedly favoring results from its own comparison shopping services over competitors.