The European Commission has fined Google a total of €890 million for violating the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), accusing the tech giant of unfairly favouring its own services in search results and restricting app developers from directing users to cheaper alternatives.
In a statement released on Thursday, the Commission announced two separate fines—€460 million and €430 million—saying the penalties reflect the seriousness and duration of Google’s non-compliance with the law.
According to the Commission, Google gave preferential treatment to its own services, including Google Shopping, hotels, transport and sports results, by placing them more prominently in search results than competing third-party services.
The EU said Google’s services often appear at the top of search results with enhanced visuals and filters, while similar services from competitors receive less visibility.
The Commission also found that Google violated the DMA by restricting app developers from informing users about alternative purchasing options outside the Google Play Store.
“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,” the Commission said.
While the EU acknowledged that Google is entitled to charge certain fees for helping developers acquire customers through Google Play, it ruled that the company’s steering-related charges exceeded what is allowed under the Digital Markets Act.
EU Orders Google To Comply Within 60 Days
The European Commission has ordered Google to immediately stop the practices found to violate the DMA and ensure equal treatment for third-party services in Google Search.
It also directed the company to allow app developers using Google Play to freely communicate with customers, promote offers and complete transactions both inside and outside the app store.
The Commission noted that Google has already begun testing changes to the way its services are displayed in search results, including shopping, hotels, flights and sports content, while discussions on its AI-powered search features are ongoing.
“These constitute good progress towards compliance and will also be assessed in light of the cease and desist order,” the Commission stated.
Google has been given 60 days to comply with the ruling or face additional penalties of up to 5 percent of its total worldwide annual turnover.
Google Search was designated as a “gatekeeper” under the Digital Markets Act in September 2023, with the EU opening formal investigations into the company’s practices in March 2024 before issuing preliminary findings of non-compliance in March 2025.
