Google has lost its appeal against a €4.1 billion ($4.8 billion) antitrust fine after Europe’s highest court upheld a landmark ruling that found the technology giant used its Android mobile operating system to stifle competition.
The decision brings to a close one of the European Union’s biggest competition cases against the company and reinforces regulators’ efforts to curb the market dominance of major technology firms.
The fine was originally imposed by the European Commission in 2018 at €4.34 billion, before being reduced to €4.1 billion in 2022. Google’s latest appeal was dismissed, confirming the revised penalty.
The Commission accused Google of abusing Android’s dominant market position through a series of restrictive business practices designed to strengthen the reach of its search engine and browser.
According to EU regulators, Google illegally:
- Required smartphone and tablet manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and the Chrome browser as a condition for access to the Google Play Store.
- Paid major device manufacturers and mobile network operators to exclusively pre-install Google Search on their devices.
- Prevented manufacturers from selling devices running alternative versions, or “forks,” of Android by threatening to withhold access to Google’s proprietary apps.
Regulators argued that these practices limited consumer choice and made it more difficult for rival search engines and browser developers to compete.
However, the Commission acknowledged that consumers were still free to download competing browsers and search applications after purchasing Android devices.
Reacting to the ruling, Google expressed disappointment, arguing that the court failed to recognise the company’s investment in maintaining Android as an open and accessible platform.
“The judgment fails to recognise our significant investment to ensure Android remains open, interoperable and free,” a Google spokesperson said.
The company added that it had already modified its commercial agreements following the Commission’s original 2018 decision and remains committed to innovation and openness for users, partners and developers.
The case represents another major setback for Google in Europe, where regulators have repeatedly targeted the company’s business practices.
In September 2024, the company was ordered to pay a €2.4 billion fine for abusing the dominance of its shopping comparison service.
A year later, in September 2025, the European Commission imposed another €2.95 billion penalty after finding that Google had unfairly favoured its own online advertising products over those of competitors.
Despite the size of the Android penalty, it is not Google’s largest financial sanction globally. In 2024, a Russian court imposed an unprecedented fine—calculated at two undecillion roubles—over restrictions placed on Russian state media channels on YouTube. The astronomical amount far exceeded the value of the world’s total economic output and was widely regarded as symbolic rather than enforceable.
The latest EU ruling underscores Europe’s increasingly aggressive stance on competition enforcement in the digital economy and signals that regulators remain determined to hold dominant technology companies accountable for practices they believe undermine fair competition. For Google, it represents yet another costly chapter in its long-running battle with European antitrust authorities.
