The Federal Trade Commission is about to launch an investigation into whether Google unfairly used Android’s strength in the mobile computing market to prioritize its own services over those of competitors, Bloomberg reported, citing two anonymous sources. Four years later, the company changed its tune and settled the antitrust case.

Google previously tangled with the FTC over web search allegations and reached a settlement in 2013.

FTC officials have held meetings recently with app developers and other providers of online services who have complained about Google’s control over Android, one person familiar with the meetings said.

Mobile phone producers are not compelled to use Android on their devices but they do need the OS to grant their customers access to valuable apps in the Google’s Play app store. It is unclear if the FTC investigation is working with the European Union investigation at this time, but the USA inquiry is still in very early stages. The EU’s Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager has said that she is prepared to widen the investigation if the present charges against Google turn out to be valid.

In that inquiry, FTC staffers concluded Google had biased its search results to benefit its own services and hurt rivals.

Googles powerful operating system is usable by other gadget manufacturers easily and Google has also designed hardware gadgets that promote searches, entertainment, and email all by itself.

Google spokeswoman Gina Scigliano declined to comment.

Given the regulatory scrutiny, Google will probably move more carefully with Android – hampering its ability to bring fresh innovations to market.

Do you think the FTC is right to investigate Google? Android is the company’s key to mobile, today’s dominant channel for searching, socializing, and just about every other popular consumer pastime. In the United States, Google controls 65 percent of the smartphone market, according to the latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel. The question is whether Google is using this leading position to push its own products on its operating system (e.g., Chrome Browser, Google Maps) at the expense of its competitors (like Firefox or Bing Maps). While the FTC continues to look into the situation, it may later choose to close the case without action against Google, if it’s satisfied that there’s no evidence of anti-competitive behavior.