Google has agreed to stop charging a fee for search material to appear on a list of default search engines on Android that’s exclusive to European users.

Google’s decision is in response to a record US$5 billion EU antitrust fine targeting anti-competitive practices in its smartphone software.

To appear as an alternative search engine on Android, Google would have to take part in blind auctions in various EU countries.

Google has now scrapped the auctions in a key concession to smaller competitors and will also increase the number of search providers shown on the screen.