**Facebook Prepares Contingency Plan in Case of Conflict with Google: Exploring the Potential Fallout**
In a recent video, host Jase of *Android Army* delves into an intriguing topic: Facebook’s potential contingency plan if Google were to demand payment for server costs incurred due to excessive API calls from Facebook. This discussion builds on a previous episode where the focus was on the massive number of API calls Facebook makes to Google’s servers, which could result in significant financial implications for Google.
### Understanding the Scale of API Calls
For those unfamiliar with the technicalities involved, Jase offers a simple explanation: when you receive a notification on your Android phone—such as a message from your mom about your dog picture—it’s not just magic. Behind the scenes, this information has to travel through Facebook’s servers and then be routed through Google’s infrastructure. This process is known as an API call.
While small app developers with only a few million users might not notice the cost burden on Google, the sheer scale of Facebook’s operations means that the costs for these API calls are enormous. If Google were to demand payment from Facebook for these services, the bill would be gargantuan, potentially destabilizing the relationship between the two tech giants.
### Facebook’s Contingency Plan: Alternatives to Google’s Services
According to reports by Zamir Efrati, Facebook has been exploring various options to mitigate any potential fallout from a conflict with Google. One of the measures under consideration is the development of alternatives to Google’s cloud services, specifically targeting devices sold without Google’s “stamp of approval” in regions like China and other countries.
This initiative would encompass creating infrastructure for delivering notifications, processing payments, downloading apps, and updating software—all functions currently reliant on Google’s ecosystem. Even more ambitious (though reportedly not a priority) is the idea of Facebook hosting its own App Store for developers, potentially reducing its reliance on Google’s Play Store.
### Strategic Deals and Simulations
To ensure resilience, Facebook has already inked deals with numerous carriers and manufacturers to pre-load its apps onto new devices. This move ensures that even if access to the Google Play Store is restricted, users can still access Facebook through these pre-installed apps.
Furthermore, Facebook hasn’t shied away from conducting extensive simulations to prepare for worst-case scenarios. The company has run “wargames” to predict how its user base might react if they could no longer download Facebook from the Google Play Store. In a bold move, Facebook even removed its main app from the Play Store in an entire country for an entire week, observing how users would respond.
### Testing User Resilience
The results of these experiments have been fascinating—and slightly unnerving. Despite intentionally inducing errors to make the app unusable for some users, Facebook found that its users were resourceful and determined to access the platform at all costs. This resilience highlights just how deeply integrated Facebook has become into users’ daily lives.
### Looking Ahead: The Implications of this Contingency Planning
While it remains unclear whether a full-scale conflict between Facebook and Google will ever materialize, the fact that Facebook is exploring these contingency plans speaks volumes about the potential fragility of their relationship. If tensions were to escalate, Facebook’s ability to operate independently outside of Google’s ecosystem could have far-reaching implications for both companies and developers alike.
As Jase concludes, this situation is one to watch closely. Whether it’s through shifting to alternative services or leveraging pre-loaded apps, Facebook seems determined to maintain its dominance in the Android ecosystem—even if it means challenging Google directly.
What do you think will happen next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwell it turns out that Facebook may have a contingency plan if Google comes callin asking Facebook to pay its server bill now this is all a follow up to a show I did two weeks ago where we talked about all the excessive API calls from Facebook to Google that cost Google a lot of cheddar now if that was all completely Greek to you allow me to explain it briefly like this you see you know when you get a facebook notification on your Android phone your mom liked your dog pic or something well that information had to go from Facebook through to Google servers that's called an API call now if you're a small app developer with only a few million users the cost that Google has to bear is too small to measure but if you're as big as Facebook the cost that Google has to bear is massive for those API calls and if mother Google demands from Facebook that they help pay those server costs the bill would be gargantuan the information Zamir efrati reports that Facebook has been weighing its options in case a conflict with Google results in the removal of Facebook apps from the Play Store one measure that Facebook is considering is the creation of alternatives to Google's cloud services targeting devices that are sold without Google stamp of approval in China and other countries this includes the infrastructure for delivering notifications making payments and downloading installing apps and updates Facebook could even host its own App Store for other developers though according to the information the social company isn't really interested in doing that Facebook has also struck deals with many carriers and manufacturers to have its apps preloaded in new devices and has even run wargames to simulate what would happen if users could no longer download Facebook from the Google Play Store Facebook even went so far as to remove the main app from the Google Play Store for an entire country for a week to gauge the reaction of its user base and in a slightly unnerving move the company intentionally induced errors that would make its app unusable for some users just to see how far I could push users before they give up on using the app even with all that abuse users kept finding ways to use Facebook this could be interesting to see how it all plays out what are you think it's gonna happen let me know in the comments below thanks for watching android army my name is Jase love to connect with you right here on Twitter you also don't forget about my brothers and sister and Android who are working super hard to be your source for all things Androidwell it turns out that Facebook may have a contingency plan if Google comes callin asking Facebook to pay its server bill now this is all a follow up to a show I did two weeks ago where we talked about all the excessive API calls from Facebook to Google that cost Google a lot of cheddar now if that was all completely Greek to you allow me to explain it briefly like this you see you know when you get a facebook notification on your Android phone your mom liked your dog pic or something well that information had to go from Facebook through to Google servers that's called an API call now if you're a small app developer with only a few million users the cost that Google has to bear is too small to measure but if you're as big as Facebook the cost that Google has to bear is massive for those API calls and if mother Google demands from Facebook that they help pay those server costs the bill would be gargantuan the information Zamir efrati reports that Facebook has been weighing its options in case a conflict with Google results in the removal of Facebook apps from the Play Store one measure that Facebook is considering is the creation of alternatives to Google's cloud services targeting devices that are sold without Google stamp of approval in China and other countries this includes the infrastructure for delivering notifications making payments and downloading installing apps and updates Facebook could even host its own App Store for other developers though according to the information the social company isn't really interested in doing that Facebook has also struck deals with many carriers and manufacturers to have its apps preloaded in new devices and has even run wargames to simulate what would happen if users could no longer download Facebook from the Google Play Store Facebook even went so far as to remove the main app from the Google Play Store for an entire country for a week to gauge the reaction of its user base and in a slightly unnerving move the company intentionally induced errors that would make its app unusable for some users just to see how far I could push users before they give up on using the app even with all that abuse users kept finding ways to use Facebook this could be interesting to see how it all plays out what are you think it's gonna happen let me know in the comments below thanks for watching android army my name is Jase love to connect with you right here on Twitter you also don't forget about my brothers and sister and Android who are working super hard to be your source for all things Android\n"
