Google could discover itself the target of yet one more antitrust probe.

Russia-based mostly search engine Yandex has despatched a request to the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia for an investigation of Google over potential violations of Russian antitrust legislation, Yandex mentioned Wednesday.

Yandex’s complaint focuses on the bundling of the Google search app and other Google providers with Google’s Android mobile working system. Yandex prices that though Android is speculated to be an open platform, Google requires device makers to pre-set up certain Google apps and to set Google search as the default. Further, device makers are forbidden from putting in companies from Google’s opponents, in response to Yandex.

Yandex just isn’t much of a presence exterior Russia, but it surely controls virtually 60 percent of the overall search market in its dwelling country. By distinction, its share of the search market on Android devices is barely about forty four p.c, a Yandex spokesman instructed BBC News, down from fifty two % a yr in the past.

Yandex’s gripe towards Google is nothing new. Google has confronted complaints and lawsuits each in the US and in Europe over its alleged practice of locking out the competition by requiring its personal apps to be put in on Android gadgets.

The Russian search engine additionally accuses Google of locking machine makers into Google’s app store. In order to install Google Play, device makers should preinstall your complete suite of Google Cellular Companies, which embody Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail and different Google apps, Yandex mentioned.

To again up its claim, Yandex cited three smartphone vendors — Prestigio, 団塊ジュニアの野望 Fly and Explay — who told it final year that they have been now not in a position to preinstall Yandex companies on their Android units on account of Google’s practices. As a result, Yandex said that not only does its own company endure however so do system makers and in the end the tip person.

“We consider that system manufacturers should have a alternative as to which search supplier to set as the default or which companies to have preinstalled on the gadget,” Yandex’s PR director Ochir Mandzhikov, stated in a statement. “Google mustn’t stop manufacturers from preinstalling competitor apps. This is why we’re speaking about the necessity to unbundle Google’s Android working system from Google Search and its other end-person services.”

The Russian firm is also a part of a current probe into Google’s practices by the European Commission. Last summer season, the EC despatched questionnaires to mobile machine companies asking about any offers with Google that demanded European regulators have been in search of evidence of agreements through which Google prevented cell machine makers or carriers from pre-putting in items that competed with its own Android apps or services.

Despite Gooogle’s alleged techniques, Yandex continues to thrive as an Web company and search engine. On Wednesday, the corporate reported fourth-quarter earnings of $134.6 million (7.6 billion rubles), up 126 percent from a 12 months in the past. Revenue rose to $260.7 million, up 21 p.c from the year-in the past quarter.

“We continue to develop our present services and merchandise in addition to new enterprise models, such because the just lately launched Yandex Information Manufacturing unit,” Yandex CEO Arkady Volozh said. “Although we face difficult financial headwinds, including substantial foreign money fluctuations, we are managing Yandex for the long run. We’ll continue to improve monetization, pursue price efficiencies in our core business and handle our forex (international trade) exposure, while investing into important development areas akin to mobile and advertising applied sciences.”

Google didn’t immediately reply to CNET’s request for remark.