Switzerland’s Competition Commission (COMCO) has launched a preliminary investigation into Google’s removal of a feature that allowed Android users to choose their preferred default search engine during device setup, adding to mounting regulatory pressure on Big Tech across Europe.
The watchdog said on Tuesday it is examining whether Google’s decision to disable the “Choice Screen” in Switzerland while keeping it available elsewhere in Europe could amount to anti-competitive conduct under the Swiss Cartel Act.
The investigation marks the latest challenge for Google, whose search, advertising, and Android businesses have been under almost continuous regulatory scrutiny across Europe for years as authorities intensify efforts to curb the market power of the world’s largest technology companies.
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Google said it was aware of the investigation.
“We look forward to cooperating fully with the authority to address their questions,” a company spokesperson said.
The Choice Screen allows users setting up a new Android smartphone to select their preferred default search engine instead of automatically using Google Search. According to COMCO, Google has removed that option for users in Switzerland, even though it remains available across countries in the European Economic Area (EEA).
As a result, Swiss users are automatically assigned Google Search unless they manually change the setting later.
The Swiss regulator said this could significantly reduce the visibility of rival search engines at a critical stage of the user experience.
“In digital markets, default settings play a decisive role,” COMCO said, noting that removing the option could weaken competition not only among search engines but also among other digital service providers that depend on online discovery.
The regulator added that Google’s approach creates unequal treatment between Swiss consumers and users elsewhere in Europe, where regulators have required greater consumer choice.
The preliminary investigation will determine whether Google’s conduct constitutes an abuse of its market position under Swiss competition law.
According to web analytics firm Statcounter, Google controls roughly 82% of Switzerland’s online search market, reinforcing regulators’ concerns about the company’s influence over internet search.
Europe’s Scrutiny of Big Tech Continues to Intensify
The Swiss investigation shows that regulatory pressure on Google and other major technology companies has shown little sign of easing, even after years of antitrust cases, record fines, and sweeping new digital regulations across Europe.
Google has been at the center of European competition enforcement for more than a decade. The European Commission has imposed billions of euros in fines against the company over practices involving Android, online shopping services and digital advertising, while requiring changes to how its products operate within the bloc.
The Android Choice Screen itself emerged from one of those cases after European regulators concluded that Google had illegally leveraged Android’s dominance to reinforce the market position of its search engine and Chrome browser.
More recently, scrutiny has expanded beyond traditional antitrust investigations.
The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into force last year, imposes strict obligations on designated “gatekeeper” platforms, requiring companies such as Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft and ByteDance to make their ecosystems more open to competitors and give users greater freedom over default services and pre-installed applications.
European regulators are also increasingly focusing on product design choices rather than simply pricing or acquisitions. Features such as default settings, app placement, browser selection, and interoperability have become central to competition enforcement because they can shape user behavior and entrench dominant platforms without consumers actively making those choices.
Google is far from alone in facing heightened oversight.
Apple continues to face multiple investigations over its App Store rules, browser policies and interoperability obligations under the DMA. Meta remains under scrutiny over its advertising practices, subscription models and data usage, while Microsoft, Amazon and TikTok owner ByteDance are also subject to ongoing investigations and compliance reviews across Europe.
Switzerland’s probe demonstrates that this tougher regulatory stance is spreading beyond the European Union itself. Although Switzerland is not an EU member, its competition authorities have increasingly aligned with broader European efforts to ensure digital markets remain contestable.
If COMCO finds evidence of anti-competitive behavior, Google could be required to restore the Choice Screen for Swiss Android users and potentially face further enforcement measures.