2026-07-02 11:01:48
Google has lost its final appeal against a multibillion-euro antitrust penalty after Europe’s highest court upheld a €4.1 billion (£3.5 billion) fine over the way it used Android to strengthen its dominance in mobile services.
The Court of Justice of the European Union dismissed Google’s appeal against the European Commission’s landmark competition ruling, confirming a fine that was originally issued in 2018 and later reduced from €4.3 billion to €4.1 billion in 2022.
The penalty remains the largest antitrust fine ever imposed by the European Commission on Google.
The Commission concluded that Google had used Android, the world’s most widely used mobile operating system, to unfairly limit competition and reinforce the dominance of its search engine and Chrome web browser.
When the case was first brought, regulators alleged Google had broken competition rules in three ways.
The Commission said the company required smartphone and tablet manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome if they wanted access to the Google Play Store, paid major manufacturers and mobile operators to exclusively pre-install Google Search, and prevented manufacturers from selling devices running alternative “forked” versions of Android by threatening to withhold access to Google’s apps.
Regulators acknowledged that Android users remained free to download rival browsers and search engines after purchasing a device.
Responding to the latest ruling, a Google spokesperson said: “The judgement fails to recognise our significant investment to ensure Android remains open, interoperable and free.
“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.”
Google has faced a series of major antitrust actions in Europe in recent years.
In 2024, the company was ordered to pay €2.4 billion over its shopping comparison service, while another €2.95 billion fine followed in 2025 after regulators found it had favoured its own online advertising products over rivals.
Outside Europe, Google has also faced legal action elsewhere. In 2024, a Russian court imposed an unprecedented fine over restrictions placed on state media channels on YouTube, with the theoretical penalty exceeding the value of the world’s entire economy.
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