BRUSSELS — The European Commission fined Google’s parent company Alphabet €890 million for two separate violations of the Digital Markets Act. The penalty addressed Google's preferential treatment of its own services in search results and restrictions placed on developers within the Play Store.

Google was fined €460 million for giving preferential treatment to its own Shopping, Hotels, and Flights services in Google Search results. A separate fine of €430 million was imposed for Play Store rules preventing developers from steering consumers to alternative payment systems. Google has been given 60 days to change its policies or face further periodic penalty payments.

The company is required to treat third-party services in a fair and non-discriminatory manner in Search results. Additionally, Google is required to allow Android developers to freely promote offers to users both inside and outside the Play Store.

"The best products should succeed because they’re better, not because they’re owned by the company running the search engine," said Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition. Ribera added that 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," she said.

The European Commission opened a non-compliance investigation into Google more than two years prior to the fine. A preliminary ruling regarding Google’s compliance was issued in March 2025. The European Commission granted Google an extension in May 2026 to address concerns after stating a previous proposal was not strong enough.

During this period, Google tested changes to its Search services to comply with DMA rules, including removing the Google Flights widget for EU users and boosting links to third-party comparison websites. The European Commission stated that Google’s changes to Play Store terms constitute good progress towards compliance.

Google criticized the regulatory requirements and their impact on product quality. "The DMA is making it difficult to protect users from scams and malicious links on Android by forcing us to remove our legitimate safeguards that protect users’ security and safety," the company said. In a statement from May 2026, Google said, "Changes we made in an attempt to achieve DMA compliance represent the biggest downgrade in the product’s history, creating a second-rate experience for Europeans to the benefit of a few self-interested complainants." Kent Walker, President of Global Affairs, responded to the decision by stating, "This isn't fair competition; it's product degradation driven by a small group of self-serving complainants, with European businesses and consumers taking the hit." Walker added that regulation should improve products, not make them worse.

Thomas Regnier, European Commission Spokesperson, stated that in the EU, businesses have the right to compete fairly. "Gatekeepers have the obligation to ensure a level playing field and consumers the right to choose for cheaper alternative offers," Regnier said. Google can appeal the decision and request interim measures, including suspension of the fine.

The maximum fine for breaching DMA rules is 10 percent of a company’s global annual revenue. Google reported $400 billion in global annual revenue for 2025. In a separate historical case, Google was fined €2.42 billion in 2017 for giving its comparison shopping service an illegal advantage over competitors.

The €890 million penalty marks an enforcement action under the Digital Markets Act, which aims to curb the market power of large technology platforms. Google reported $400 billion in global annual revenue for 2025, indicating that the fine constitutes a fraction of the maximum potential penalty of 10 percent of global revenue. The enforcement follows a multi-year investigation that began more than two years prior to the decision.

The ruling requires structural changes to how Google operates its Search engine and Play Store in the European Union. Developers will gain the ability to direct users to external payment systems, while search results must treat third-party services without discrimination. Google has the option to appeal the decision and request interim measures, meaning the legal process may continue while the company adjusts its policies to avoid further periodic penalty payments.