EU fines Google €890m for breaching online competition laws

23rd Jul 2026 13:16

(Sharecast News) - The European Commission has fined Google a total of €890m after finding that its search engine and app store services had breached online competition laws.

The EU said Google had given preferential treatment to its own services, including shopping, hotels, transport and sports results, over those of third parties in its search engine, thereby breaching its obligations under the Digital Markets Act.

Under the DMA, app developers that distribute their apps via Google Play should be able to inform customers for free of alternative, often cheaper, offers, and to direct them to those offers to make purchases, for example on websites or alternative app stores.

However, the Commission said Google had failed to comply with that obligation.

"In particular, 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," it said.

The Commission fined Google €460m for the search-related breach and €430m for the app store breach.

Teresa Ribera, executive vice-president for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, said: "Google has fallen short of effective compliance with the Digital Markets Act, and today we have taken decisive yet balanced enforcement action sanctioning these breaches.

"The best products should succeed because they're better, not because they're owned by the company running the search engine. And European consumers have a right to be told by app developers where to sign up to the best offers, even when the app store owner does not get a cut. This is the promise of the DMA, protecting fairness, choice and innovation in digital markets for the benefit of all European citizens."