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The European Commission announced two separate decisions on July 22 fining Google a combined €890 million for violations of the Digital Markets Act, with €460 million attributed to the company’s practice of giving preferential treatment to its own services in search results and €430 million linked to restrictions on steering users to alternative offers outside the Google Play Store. The regulator determined that Google displayed its shopping, hotels, transport and sports results more prominently than competing services, often placing them at the top of pages with enhanced visuals while denying rivals equivalent visibility. These findings follow an extensive investigation that included market feedback and dialogue with the company, the Commission said in a statement. The penalties reflect the gravity and duration of the breaches while accounting for steps Google has taken toward compliance.
Google’s self-preferencing in search results breached obligations under the Digital Markets Act that require gatekeepers to apply transparent, fair and non-discriminatory ranking conditions to their own services compared with third-party offerings, according to the Commission assessment. The company gave its services better placement and visual treatment in search outcomes for categories including shopping and travel, the regulator found after reviewing how results were presented. Such conduct harms businesses offering similar services by limiting their ability to compete on merit, the Commission stated. The first fine specifically targets these practices that have persisted since the company’s designation as a gatekeeper.
In the second decision, the Commission concluded that Google prevented app developers from freely communicating and promoting cheaper alternative offers to users, including through websites or other app stores, in breach of DMA rules on steering. While the company may charge fees for initial customer acquisition through its Play Store, the level and duration of those fees exceeded what the regulation permits, the regulator determined following its review. Developers were restricted both technically and contractually from directing customers outside the Google ecosystem, according to the decision. The €430 million penalty addresses these anti-steering measures that limited consumer choice.
The Commission has ordered Google to implement changes within 60 days to ensure third-party services receive fair and non-discriminatory treatment in search rankings relative to its own products, the regulator said in its announcement. For the Play Store, the company must allow developers to communicate, promote offers and conclude contracts with users both inside and outside its app store without undue restrictions. Failure to comply could result in periodic penalty payments of up to 5 percent of Google’s global annual turnover, the Commission warned. Officials noted that ongoing dialogue would continue to assess proposed adjustments.
Google has proposed and begun testing modifications to how it presents its own services in search for areas such as shopping, hotels and flights, marking substantial progress that the Commission said it will monitor closely following the decisions. The company has also rolled out updates to its steering terms for app developers, which regulators described as good progress toward full adherence. These developments emerged from constructive engagement after the Commission issued preliminary findings in March 2025, according to the regulator’s account. The decisions mark the first fines imposed on Google under the DMA, which a Reuters report identified as the company’s fifth and sixth overall penalties for anti-competitive practices in the European Union.
Google was designated a gatekeeper for its search engine in September 2023 under the Digital Markets Act, a framework designed to promote fairness and contestability in digital markets that took effect in 2024, the Commission recalled in its background summary. Non-compliance investigations were opened in March 2024, leading to preliminary findings the following year that allowed the company to exercise its full rights of defense through document review and written submissions. The final decisions followed thorough analysis incorporating input from market participants, according to the regulator. Google retains the right to appeal the outcomes.
European officials emphasized that the measures aim to ensure the best products succeed on their merits rather than through ownership advantages in key platforms. “Google has fallen short of effective compliance with the Digital Markets Act, and today we have taken decisive yet balanced enforcement action sanctioning these breaches,” the Commission stated. A second official comment noted that the rulings confirm the regulator’s determination to safeguard business opportunities created by the legislation while sending a clear message that tools will be used to protect innovation and choice.
