Google fined $1 billion for anticompetitive search and mobile app practices in EU

30/07 21:15 - Google fined $1 billion for anticompetitive search and mobile app practices in EU
The European Commission has fined Google a total of €890 million ($1 billion) for its breaches of the Digital Market Act (DMA). Just over half the fine — €460 million — was because Google illegally gave preference to its own services in Google Search results. The remainder was because in the Google Play store for Android apps, the company prevented app developers from leading consumers to alternative, often cheaper, purchase channels. Under the DMA, app developers who distribute their apps via Google Play or Apple’s App Store should be able to inform customers of alternative offers. Now Google must give third-party services featuring in its results the same treatment as its own services, and allow developers of apps in the Play Store to communicate about offers both in and outside the Play Store, or face further fines. The Commission first raised these issues with Google in March 2025. In April of this year, the Commission laid out plans as to how Google should allow other third-parties to share its searches, suggestions that the tech firm firmly resisted. Earlier this month, the Commission also said  Android should be open to other AI agents and not limited to Google’s own Gemini. Google is not the only US company to have fallen foul of the DMA. In April 2025, Apple was fined €500 million for breaching the Act and, last month, the Commission fired the first shots at cloud hyperscalers Microsoft and Amazon. ...