Plaintiffs withdraw class-action lawsuit against Google over its Android & Search practices

Reuters reports that the plaintiffs in an antitrust lawsuit against Google have finally withdrawn their case. The case, which was brought against Google nearly a year ago, accused the company of being anticompetitive with several of its Search and Android practices.

Essentially, the case centered around the idea that Google was forcing Android manufacturers to give its services and apps a more prominent placement on devices. The plaintiffs in the case said that this ended up increasing the price of Android devices for consumers. Google has always been adamant that it is possible to use Android without Google, however, and that the amount of variety in the Android spectrum has actually driven prices of smartphones down. 

The case was dismissed by a California judge in February of this year, but with the option for the plaintiffs to return with stronger evidence to support their claims. With plaintiffs withdrawing their case, though, Google is now in the clear with this specific lawsuit.

Google has faced other antitrust allegations in the European Union and United States recently. In the EU, the European Commission is reportedly gearing up to announce charges against Google for its anticompetitive Search practices. In the United States, however, Google was cleared of charges after an elaborate FTC investigation. The results from that investigation likely contributed to the dismissal and now withdrawal of this class-action suit against the company.