Overview
- The European Court of Justice on Thursday dismissed Google’s appeal and left in place a roughly €4.1 billion penalty first imposed by the European Commission in 2018.
- Brussels found that Google required device makers to preinstall its Search and Chrome apps to get the Play Store, barred manufacturers from shipping unapproved Android forks, and conditioned revenue sharing on excluding rival search engines.
- The fine was first set at €4.34 billion in 2018 and slightly reduced by the EU General Court in 2022 before the EuGH made the decision final on July 2, 2026.
- Google said the ruling was disappointing and argued it ignored the investments the company made to keep Android open and free, while Brussels and courts said those agreements used market power to exclude competitors.
- The judgment adds to a series of EU and national actions against Google — including a separate €2.95 billion EU penalty from September 2025 and a recent Swedish damages order — and could prompt more private claims and operational changes for device makers and app rivals.