Authorities in South Korea are investigating whether Google deliberately obstructed Samsung from developing its own mobile OS to replace Android on its phones.

Samsung signed a Mobile Application Distribution Agreement in 2011 that agreed that all Samsung devices would have Google set as the default search engine and come with pre-installed Google apps.

Samsung also agreed to another deal that restricted it from developing its own OS based on Google's algorithms. A probe into this deal launched in May 2016 found that "suspicious circumstances" may have led to Google blocking Samsung from developing its own OS altogether.

Thwarting competition

The Fair Trade Commission told the Korea Times that they "are currently checking if Google thwarted competition in the OS market." It may also reopen an investigation from 2013 into the overall deal.

"Android is an open source platform. Our partner agreements are entirely voluntary — anyone can use Android without Google," a representative from Google Korea said.