Swiss Android users lost the ability to pick a default search engine when setting up a new phone. Their EU neighbors still have that option.
Now Switzerland's competition watchdog wants to know why. The Competition Commission (COMCO) opened a preliminary investigation Tuesday into Google's removal of the "Choice Screen" on Android devices in Switzerland, the authority announced. The screen appeared during initial device setup and let users select a default search engine instead of defaulting to Google.
Google removed the feature in Switzerland while keeping it active across the European Economic Area. The result: Google Search is now imposed as the default for Swiss users with no opt-out during setup.
"Default settings play a crucial role in digital markets," WEKO said in a press release. "Eliminating this feature could restrict the visibility of search engines that compete with Google during device setup, thereby increasing barriers to market entry." The math explains the concern.
Google holds 82% of the Swiss search market, according to Statcounter. The Choice Screen originated as a remedy in the EU's Android antitrust case.
The European Commission and Google agreed in March 2020 that it would appear on all new Android devices shipped to the EEA and the UK. The Digital Markets Act later reinforced it, and Google expanded its choice screens in March 2024 to comply.
Switzerland sits outside the EU and the DMA doesn't apply there. Swiss officials had assumed that wouldn't matter. A 2023 assessment by the government's Interdepartmental Coordination Group on EU Digital Policy concluded large foreign gatekeepers would apply EU rules in Switzerland anyway, reasoning that treating the two markets differently wouldn't be worth the trouble.
Google's decision to quietly pull the Choice Screen in Switzerland blows that assumption apart.
"This new practice by Google could affect the ability of search engine providers and, more broadly, other digital service providers to compete," COMCO said. "It also creates an unequal treatment between Swiss users and those in the European Economic Area."
Google said it would cooperate. "We look forward to cooperating fully with the authority to address their questions," a spokesperson told Reuters.
The preliminary investigation will determine whether there are indications of unlawful competition under the Swiss Cartel Act. If COMCO finds grounds, it can escalate to a formal case.
Switzerland does have a platform law in the pipeline, but it won't cover this. The Federal Council opened a consultation in October 2025 on a Federal Act on Communication Platforms and Search Engines, but the bill is modeled on the EU's Digital Services Act, not the DMA.
It deals with content moderation and transparency, not default settings. The bill isn't expected to reach parliament before late 2026 or early 2027.
