Google Faces $1 billion fine by European Commission for breaches of the Digital Markets Act.

The European Commission took two landmark decisions finding non-compliance by Google with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) for self-preferencing its own services on Google Search, and for putting in place restrictions on businesses to direct consumers to alternative purchase channels on Google Play.

In this regard, the Commission issued Google a fine of €460 million and a fine of €430 million, respectively, bringing the total financial penalty to €890 million.

Self-Preferencing on Google Search

Under the DMA, designated gatekeepers must not treat their own services more favorably in ranking than third-party services, and are required to apply transparent, fair, and non-discriminatory conditions.

The Commission found that Google gives preferential treatment to its own services—including shopping, hotels, transport, and sports results—over those of third parties in Google Search. Specifically, Google displays its own services more prominently at the top of search result pages or through enhanced visuals and filters, while competing third-party services are denied equal prominence.

Anti-Steering Practices on Google Play

Under the DMA, app developers distributing through Google Play must be allowed to inform customers, free of charge, of alternative or cheaper offers and direct them to those options across external websites or alternative app stores.

The Commission concluded that Google failed to meet this obligation by preventing app developers from freely communicating, promoting offers, and concluding contracts outside Google’s preferred channels. While Google is permitted to collect a fee for facilitating the initial customer acquisition, the level and duration of its steering-related fees went beyond what is compliant under DMA rules.

Required Measures and Ongoing Dialogue

As part of the ruling, the Commission ordered Google to bring all non-compliant practices to an immediate end. Specifically, Google must:

1. Treat third-party services featured in Google Search results in a fair, non-discriminatory manner relative to its own properties.
2. Allow app developers distributing through the Play Store—both technically and contractually—to freely communicate, promote offers, and conclude contracts with users inside and outside the store.

The Commission noted that Google has proposed and started testing modifications to how it presents its own services across free Search features, shopping ads, sports content, AI Overviews, and AI Mode, as well as revised Play Store steering terms. The Commission will evaluate these changes against today’s cease-and-desist order.

Compliance Timeline and Background

Google was designated as a gatekeeper under the DMA in September 2023 for its search engine operations. The Commission opened non-compliance investigations in March 2024 and issued preliminary findings in March 2025.

Google is required to fully comply with the Commission’s decisions within 60 days, or face periodic penalty payments of up to 5% of its total worldwide turnover. Google retains the right to appeal the decisions in EU courts.