The Swiss Competition Commission (Comco) announced today, Tuesday, that it is opening an initial investigation into Google's removal of the "choice screen" feature from Android devices in Switzerland.

Choice Screen Feature

Swiss news radio LAK reported today that this feature allowed users to choose a default search engine during the initial setup of a new Android device. Google recently removed the American search engine from this feature in Switzerland, although it is still available in the European Economic Area.

In a statement, the Commission explained that "as a result, Google's search engine is automatically imposed on Swiss users without the choice screen appearing during the initial setup of their devices."

The choice screen aims to reduce reliance on pre-set settings. According to the Commission, "its removal may limit the visibility of competing search engines to Google during device setup, making it more difficult for them to enter the market."

Comco is an independent executive and investigative body that serves as Switzerland's highest federal authority responsible for enforcing antitrust law and the internal market law.