The European Commission has imposed €890 million in fines on Google for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA), accusing the technology giant of favouring its own services in search results and restricting app developers from directing users to alternative purchasing channels.
Gatekeepers News reports that in a statement issued on Thursday, the Commission said Google was fined €460 million for practices relating to Google Search and €430 million over its Google Play Store policies.
According to the Commission, the penalties reflect “the gravity and duration of the non-compliance.”
The EU regulator said Google breached the DMA by giving preferential treatment to its own services—including shopping, hotels, transport and sports results—over competing third-party services in Google Search.
The Commission said Google’s services consistently appear more prominently in search results, often occupying top positions with enhanced visual features and filtering tools, while rival services do not receive equivalent treatment.
The Commission also found that Google violated the DMA’s rules governing app distribution through Google Play.
“Under the DMA, app developers that distribute their apps via Google Play should be able to inform customers – free of charge – of alternative, often cheaper, offers, and to direct them to those offers to make purchases, for example on websites or alternative app stores,” the statement said.
“The Commission found that Google failed to comply with that obligation.
“In particular, Google prevents app developers from freely communicating and promoting offers and concluding contracts with users in distribution channels of their choice, including third-party app stores.”
While acknowledging that Google is entitled to charge fees for acquiring customers through Google Play, the Commission said the company’s steering-related charges and the length of time they apply go beyond what is permitted under the Digital Markets Act.
Google given 60 days to comply
The European Commission ordered Google to immediately end the practices found to be in breach of the law.
Under the decision, Google must ensure that third-party services appearing in Google Search are treated fairly and without discrimination compared with its own offerings.
The Commission also directed the company to allow developers distributing apps through Google Play to freely communicate with users, promote alternative offers and conclude contracts both within and outside the Play Store.
The EU noted that Google has already proposed and begun testing changes to how its own services are displayed in Google Search, including shopping, hotel and flight results, as well as modifications to shopping advertisements and sports-related content.
It also acknowledged Google’s proposals to apply the principles of the decision to AI Overviews and AI Mode, adding that discussions with the company remain ongoing.
“The Commission also notes that Google has rolled out changes related to Google’s steering terms. These constitute good progress towards compliance and will also be assessed in light of the cease and desist order of today’s decision,” the Commission said.
Google has been given 60 days to comply with the ruling or face periodic penalty payments of up to 5 per cent of its total worldwide annual turnover.
The European Commission designated Google Search as a gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act in September 2023 and opened formal investigations into the company’s self-preferencing practices and steering rules in March 2024. Preliminary findings that Google had breached the law were issued in March 2025.
