Japan Orders Google to Stop Forcing Phone Makers to Use Apps

Japan’s Fair Trade Commission ordered Alphabet Inc.’s Google to stop alleged abuse of its market power over local smartphone manufacturers, just ahead of high-stakes trade negotiations with the US this week.

The Tuesday order reiterates the FTC’s earlier finding that the US tech giant took advantage of its position as the provider of the Google Play app ecosystem — the only viable alternative to the iPhone’s App store. Google is improperly forcing phone makers to prioritize its apps and services on their devices in exchange for allowing them to put the app store on phones sold in Japan, the regulator said. The US company said in a statement it was disappointed with the findings and will review the order before deciding next steps.