Google is looking at two fines from the European Union, which claims the company violated the Digital Markets Act with both Search and the Google Play Store.
The total amount was announced and detailed by the European Union on July 23 (via The Verge). It states that two fines have been issued, one for €460 million and a fine of €430 million. The European Union says Google has 60 days to pay the €890 million ($1 billion), or it will be fined with additional payments based on its global revenue.
The first fine for €460 million is the latest action in a two-year ongoing investigation that led to a preliminary ruling in March 2025. The EU accused Google of violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by giving its own services “preferential treatment” in Google Search. It said Google’s products showed up more prominently in search results where third-party services don’t take up the same real estate.
Those services include Google’s shopping, hotel, transport, and sports results, which populate Search before similar results from companies that provide the same information.
In May 2026, an extension was granted to Google after the solution it presented was deemed unacceptable. Google called the following changes it made “the biggest downgrade in the product’s history” in an interview with Reuters.
The EU followed the fine for its actions in Google Search with another totaling €430 million for Google’s decision to restrict developers from “freely communicating and promoting offers, and concluding contracts with users in distribution channels of their choice.” In other words, Google did not allow developers to provide payment options through any service but the Google Play Store, including other app stores.
That activity wasn’t compliant with the DMA, and the EU deemed Google responsible for allowing developers with apps on the Google Play Store to offer additional payment methods and alternative access to competing installation methods.
Google has been working with the commission to ensure features in Search and the Google Play Store don’t violate the DMA. As those changes take effect, the EU says it’s assessing changes and continuing dialogue with Google.
This isn’t the first time the EU has accused Google of “gatekeeping.” The commission recently ruled that Google is required to share Search data with other companies/services and AI chatbots. The recent fines aren’t related, and Google has until January 2027 to address those separate concerns.
Google has the option to appeal the recently announced €890 million fine.
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