How do you compete with a company that’s everywhere?
Google might not be the leading collaboration and communication company on the market right now, but it’s doing its best to capture more attention. Since the IT giant also has a massive hold over the search market and the smartphone market, some experts believe that Google’s monopoly is starting to cause a problem.
An Android user recently reported that Google had added a new trick to its repertoire in trying to bring new customers to its collaboration product. When a user, engaged in an Android conversation, mentioned “Zoom” Google added a “Start Video Call” link for Google Duo into the message. The user that reported the issue noted that he did have the Zoom app installed on his phone at the time.
Is Google’s Behaviour Unethical?
Google trying to push users on Android to stick with Google collaboration products instead of Zoom raises a few questions about the amount of impact Google has on the market. The official Messages Android app is installed on billions of Android phones around the world, meaning that it’s challenging for users to avoid these messages.
Since Google has been developing solutions for virtually every industry over the last few years, it’s hard to find a marketplace that isn’t impacted by Google. Everything from your search engine to your Play Store is owned by Google, after all.
You could argue that Google’s message on Android devices isn’t malicious, but just a side-effect of having machine learning components baked into the Android tech.
After all, a Google ML tool might see a mention of Zoom and automatically suggest a Google product without considering other options. In the context of the Android user’s report, there was no mention of a video call in the conversation at all, yet the Android Messages app still recommended Duo calling.
Should Zoom Be Worried?
So, should Zoom and other companies be worried about Google’s efforts to snatch up their user base? Probably. There’s undeniable proof out there that Google is taking advantage of the power and sway it has in the marketplace. In a world where Google has been falling behind other competitors like Microsoft and Zoom when it comes to collaboration, why wouldn’t the business do everything it could to gain more attention?
There’s even a chance that in the months to come, Google will find other ways to add more of its promotion into the firmware and tools that come baked into user devices, like Google Pay, Google Play, and Google Podcast for instance.
What do you think about Google’s actions? Let us know in the comments below.
