EU hits Google with €890 million fine over Search and Play Store

Two violations, one sweeping penalty

The European Commission fined Google €890 million on Thursday after finding that its Search and Play Store practices breached the Digital Markets Act. The total comprises a €460 million penalty for favoring Google services in search results and €430 million for restricting app developers from directing users to alternative purchase channels.digital-markets-act It is Google’s first penalty under the bloc’s landmark digital competition law.reuters

Regulators said Google placed its shopping, hotel, transport and sports services more prominently than rival offerings, including through top-page placement, enhanced visuals and filters. On Google Play, the Commission found that steering-related fees and the period over which Google charged them went beyond what the law permits.digital-markets-act

Brussels demands product changes

The decisions require Google to end both violations. In Search, third-party services must receive transparent, fair and non-discriminatory treatment; in Play, developers must be free to promote offers and conclude contracts with users through websites and alternative app stores.digital-markets-act Google has 60 days to comply with the orders, with further penalties possible if its remedies fall short.techtimes

The company has already begun testing changes to the presentation of its own Search services, which the Commission described as substantial progress. It has also revised its Play Store terms, but regulators will assess whether those changes satisfy the cease-and-desist order.digital-markets-act

Google said it was reviewing the ruling and considering an appeal. Its global affairs president, Kent Walker, argued that compliance would remove real-time pricing and availability features for hotels, flights and restaurants while weakening Play Store safety protections. The company framed the required changes as product degradation rather than fairer competition.reuters

Enforcement meets political pressure

The case is an early test of whether the DMA can change the conduct of powerful technology platforms rather than merely generate fines. The Open Markets Institute called €890 million the “bare minimum” and urged Brussels to force lasting compliance, pointing to Google’s scale and the long-running complaints over self-preferencing.openmarketsinstitute

The ruling also lands amid strained transatlantic trade relations. Its timing risks angering US President Donald Trump as temporary tariff arrangements affecting dozens of countries approach expiry, although EU officials maintain that the bloc has a sovereign right to regulate companies operating in its market.lemonde The immediate stakes are practical: European search pages and app-payment choices could now change, while the credibility of the DMA will depend on whether regulators enforce the 60-day deadline.