The hidden costs of building an Android device
Google does not charge for its Android software, but manufacturers have to pay specialist firms thousands to gain a licence to use it
Android software is free and open-source, but without Google Play, a device will have minimal functionality.
Some mobile and tablet manufacturers are being charged six-figure fees by third party testing facilities for a licence to use Gmail, Google Play and other parts of Google's mobile services, the Guardian has learned.
The fees, which can range from $40,000 to $75,000, are part of a largely hidden production process for the hundreds of large and small manufacturers in the mobile device industry.
The Android mobile operating system is free for consumers and for manufacturers to install, but manufacturers need a licence to install Gmail, Google Maps and the Google Play store - collectively called Google Mobile Services (GMS).
Manufacturers can be refused a licence if they do not meet Google's requirements. Google does not charge for a GMS licence, but any company producing an Android device will need a certificate from an authorised testing facility in order to apply for the licence. That often incurs fees.
One source told the Guardian that the fee varies and is negotiated on a case-by-case basis, with one example costing $40,000 for a batch of at least 30,000 devices. A separate source said that in another deal, a testing facility quoted $75,000 to test 100,000 devices.
Now that makes a lot of sense..I have an Android device that cannot access the Web without signing up to toms of Google accounts...even though I downloaded a seperate Browser..
DuckDuckGo.... here we go ????
Those fees are small change in the mobile phone or for that matter any consumer electronics industry. They might matter to some 4th tier Asian phone cloner, but they are insignificant to any of the top 3 tiers of phone vendors.