EU Fines Google €890M Over Play Store & Search Self-Preferencing

For legal and regulatory professionals, the EU’s €890 million fine against Google is not just another penalty—it is the inaugural test of the DMA’s self-preferencing article. The Commission’s reasoning, as articulated by Executive Vice-President Ribera, clarifies how enforcers will likely draw the line between legitimate product integration and illegal steering. This case provides a blueprint for future DMA investigations and will influence how gatekeepers redesign their services to avoid similar sanctions.

The European Union has fined Google €890 million (approximately $1 billion USD, $1.4 billion AUD) for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by using its Google Play app store and Google Search engine to unfairly steer consumers toward its own services and apps. The penalty, announced on July 23, 2026, marks the first major DMA enforcement action targeting self-preferencing and ratchets up Brussels’ regulatory campaign against Big Tech. The European Commission, the bloc’s antitrust authority, found that Google’s design of Play and Search created an ecosystem that disadvantaged competitors by prioritizing its own offerings in search results and restricting app developers’ ability to inform users about better offers outside the Play Store.

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The fine arrives shortly after Google lost its final appeal of a €4.34 billion ($4.5 billion) antitrust penalty from 2018 over similar dominance abuses related to the Android mobile operating system.

The fine arrives shortly after Google lost its final appeal of a €4.34 billion ($4.5 billion) antitrust penalty from 2018 over similar dominance abuses related to the Android mobile operating system. That earlier case, rooted in traditional EU competition law, addressed illegal tying and exclusivity practices. This new DMA fine, however, stems from a distinct regulatory framework that imposes ex ante obligations on designated gatekeepers. The DMA’s Article 6(5) specifically prohibits gatekeepers from ranking their own products or services more favorably than those of third parties. The Commission determined that Google’s search engine results and Play Store architecture flouted this rule, harming competition and consumer choice.

Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, underscored the principle behind the decision: “The best products should succeed because they’re better, not because they’re owned by the company running the search engine. And European consumers have a right to be told by app developers where to sign up to the best offers, even when the app store owner does not get a cut.” The statement illuminates the Commission’s focus on both algorithmic transparency and the dismantling of closed payment ecosystems that lock in users.

Google’s response, delivered by President of Global Affairs Kent Walker, was sharp. He described the fine as “product degradation driven by a small group of self-serving complainants” and warned that the DMA forced Google to remove features Europeans value—such as instant pricing for hotels, flights, and restaurants—and to weaken safety protections on Google Play. Walker’s assertion that regulation should “improve products, not make them worse” sets up a fundamental tension between safety, convenience, and competition.

The fine carries significant implications beyond Google. It establishes a legal precedent for how the European Commission will enforce the DMA’s self-preferencing ban, guiding compliance strategies for other gatekeepers like Apple, Amazon, and Meta. For app developers, it validates complaints that app store rules stifle competition. For consumers, the remedy could mean greater price transparency but potentially a degraded user experience if Google follows through on stripping integrated features.