China Unicom Android phoes will be Google-free

China Unicom will not retain a mobile Google search engine in any smartphones it sells, including those with Google's own Android operating system, according to a Thursday report. As Google didn't agree to the Chinese government's filtering of search results and withdrew search from mainland China to Hong Kong, the carrier has said it feels forced to provide a legal alternative. Instead, China Unicom will let the device manufacturers pick a different search engine to preload onto the smartphones, Android-powered or othwerwise.

"We are willing to work with any company that abides by Chinese law," said China Unicom Lu Yimin. "We don't have any cooperation with Google currently."

China is a lucrative market for Google, as it is the world's largest cellphone market and one of the largest in terms of Internet users, but it objected to maintaining a domestic search presence after it discovered Chinese attacks targeted specifically against human rights activists. Android and other non-search businesses remain in the country.

By Electronista Staff