Google has been fined €890 million by the European Commission after regulators found it breached the EU’s Digital Markets Act by favouring its own services in Google Search and restricting app developers from steering users to cheaper purchasing options outside Google Play.
The Commission issued two separate fines — €460 million for “self-preferencing” in Google Search and €430 million for anti-steering restrictions linked to Google Play, it announced on Thursday.
Under the Digital Markets Act, large online platforms designated as “gatekeepers” must not rank their own services more favourably than third-party services, and must apply transparent, fair and non-discriminatory conditions to how results are displayed.
Regulators said Google gave preferential treatment in Search to its own services — including shopping, hotels, transport and sports results — over third-party providers. Google’s services were displayed more prominently, including at the top of the results page or using enhanced visuals and filters, while comparable third-party services did not get the same prominence.
The Commission also found Google failed to comply with DMA rules requiring app developers using Google Play to be able to inform customers, free of charge, about alternative offers and direct them to other purchasing channels, including websites or alternative app stores.
It said Google prevented developers from freely communicating and promoting offers and from concluding contracts with users through distribution channels of their choice, including third-party app stores.
The Commission added that while Google can charge a fee for facilitating the initial acquisition of a new customer via Google Play, the level and duration of steering-related fees went beyond what is compliant with the DMA.
What Google has been ordered to change
The Commission ordered Google to end the non-compliance, including treating third-party services shown in Google Search results in a fair and non-discriminatory manner compared with its own services, and allowing developers on Google Play — both technically and contractually — to communicate and promote offers and conclude contracts with users inside and outside the Play Store.
Google must comply within 60 days or risk periodic penalty payments of up to 5% of its total worldwide turnover, the Commission said.
Google was designated as a “gatekeeper” in September 2023 for its online search engine Google Search, and the Commission opened investigations on 25 March 2024 into measures linked to self-preferencing and steering rules.
The company was informed of the Commission’s preliminary view that it was in breach of the DMA on 19 March 2025.
The Commission said Google had proposed and started testing changes to how it presents its own services in Search and had rolled out changes related to steering terms, adding that it would monitor and assess those changes. Google may appeal the decisions.
