While almost every other company races to launch their smartphone in India, Google has decided not to launch the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 in the country. This is due to the Soli hardware inside these phones which conflicts with some local Indian government regulations.

Google has confirmed in a statement that it won’t be launching the Pixel 4 series in India. The new Pixels feature a Soli hardware chip that operates at 60GHz frequency. This frequency is unlicensed by the Indian government and it cannot be used in any consumer device since it is used by the military. Google seemingly cannot launch the Pixel 4 in India with the Soli-related features disabled since the government does not allow sale of any consumer device featuring hardware that operates at 60GHz frequency.

Below is Google’s official statement on the matter:

Google has a wide range of products that we make available in different regions around the world. We determine availability based on a variety of factors, including local trends, and product features. We decided not to make Pixel 4 available in India. We remain committed to our current Pixel phones and look forward to bringing future Pixel devices to India.

It is not really Google’s fault here that it is unable to launch the Pixel 4 in India due to government regulations. The Soli-based Motion Gestures is one of Pixel 4’s prime features and launching the phones without the requisite hardware in India just would not have made much sense. The Indian market does not generate enough revenue for Google financially that it would take the effort of developing an Indian-specific SKU without the Soli hardware as well.

Google has not faced such an issue in other parts of the world as the Pixel 4 is going on sale in almost every market where previous Pixel phones were available.

Are you disappointed that Google is not launching the Pixel 4 in India? Or do you think the company has made the right decision keeping in mind just how well the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 series did in the country?

Read: Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL Hands-On Roundup: Updated Camera, Motion Sense, and Face Unlock