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Amazon Backs Down from Google

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15 December 2017

By Alex Khalil

Amazon, after two years, has started to sell Google’s Chromecast devices after it removed them from its store.

The company said it had removed them to end customer confusion about which services were available on which device. The online mogul sells a similar device, the Fire TV stick, which has access to apps like Netflix and iPlayer. Analysts said it was because the Chromecast directly competed with Amazon’s Prime Video.

Google retaliated by blocking access to YouTube on some of their rival’s tech and threatening further restrictions, going as far to say they would remove the app entirely in 2018. In September, Google stopped YouTube playing on the Amazon Echo Show. They did this because Amazon had gotten the app working in a broken state.

The search giant said it took the decisions due to a lack of ‘reciprocity’ by the other company. Amazon criticised Google, saying its action hurt both firms and their customers. The row is believed to have been behind Amazon’s decision to stop selling Google’s smart home speakers in November.

After ‘productive discussions’, the online retailer has decided to restock some of Google’s tech. It is now expected that the dispute is at an end. A Google statement said it hoped the dialogue would result in further cooperation with the online retail giant.

There was no other information given about plans for Amazon to sell more Google smart home products.

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