Europe’s Top Court Upholds €4.1bn Fine Against Google Over Android Practices
BRUSSELS – Europe’s highest court has upheld a €4.1 billion (£3.5 billion) antitrust fine against Google, ruling that the technology giant abused the dominance of its Android mobile operating system to restrict competition in the smartphone market.
The decision dismisses Google’s appeal against the penalty, bringing to a close one of the European Union’s most significant competition cases involving the company.
The fine was originally imposed by the European Commission in 2018 at €4.3 billion, before being reduced to €4.1 billion by a lower court in 2022. Google’s latest appeal sought to overturn that revised penalty but was rejected by the bloc’s top judicial authority.
The Commission accused Google of using Android’s market dominance to strengthen its own services and limit opportunities for competing companies.
According to the original ruling, Google engaged in three anti-competitive practices. Regulators said the company required smartphone and tablet manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and the Chrome browser if they wanted access to the Google Play Store.
The Commission also found that Google made financial payments to major device manufacturers and mobile network operators that agreed to install Google Search exclusively on their devices.
In addition, regulators concluded that Google prevented manufacturers from selling devices powered by modified, or “forked,” versions of Android by threatening to withhold permission to pre-install Google’s apps.
The Commission acknowledged that Android users were still able to download alternative browsers and choose different search engines after purchasing their devices.
Responding to the court’s decision, a Google spokesperson said the company disagreed with the ruling.
“The judgement fails to recognise our significant investment to ensure Android remains open, interoperable and free.”
The spokesperson added that Google had already revised its agreements following the Commission’s original decision in 2018.
“In any event, we adapted our agreements to comply with the initial decision back in 2018 and we remain focused on continued innovation and openness for our users, partners and developers.”
When the Commission first announced the penalty in 2018, Google’s Chief Executive Officer, Sundar Pichai, defended the company’s business model, arguing that Android had expanded consumer choice rather than limiting it.
The Android case is one of several antitrust actions the European Commission has taken against Google and its parent company, Alphabet.
In September 2024, the company was ordered to pay €2.4 billion over allegations that it abused the dominance of its shopping comparison service.
A year later, in September 2025, European regulators imposed another €2.95 billion fine after finding that Google had unfairly favoured its own advertising products over those of competitors.
Although the Android penalty remains the largest fine ever issued against Google by the European Commission, it is not the largest financial penalty the company has faced globally.
In October 2024, a Russian court imposed an unprecedented fine against Google over restrictions placed on Russian state media channels on YouTube. The amount – set at two undecillion roubles – was so large that it exceeded the estimated value of the world’s entire gross domestic product.
