Overview
- People with direct knowledge told Reuters that a potentially large penalty could land early next year if Google does not strengthen its Play Store remedies.
- Regulators say Google's August tweaks still fall short, despite measures such as cutting the initial acquisition fee from 10% to 3%, introducing a two-tier fee model, and charging for external installs.
- The Commission has signaled that Google can still offer additional fixes before any sanction, with a fine likely in the first quarter though the timing could change.
- Google says it is cooperating but warns further changes could expose Android and Play users to malware, scams, and data theft, arguing the platform is already open by design.
- Under the DMA, fines can reach 10% of global revenue, and the Commission is separately examining Google's search favoritism, AI content use, and spam policy.