EU Fines Google €890M for DMA Breaches: Search Self-Preferencing and App Store Lock-In
The European Commission hits Google with a record fine under the Digital Markets Act for favoring its own services in search results and restricting app developer steering.
The European Commission has fined Google a combined €890 million for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in two distinct areas: search self-preferencing and app store anti-steering provisions. The search-related fine is €460 million; the app store fine is €430 million.
Search Self-Preferencing
The Commission found that Google gave priority to its own services—such as shopping, hotel deals, and flights—in search results over those of competitors. This directly contravenes the DMA's requirement that gatekeepers treat third-party services fairly. Google has been ordered to display third-party results in a "fair and non-discriminatory manner." The company has already begun testing changes to its search result layout, which the EU described as "substantial progress towards compliance."
App Store Anti-Steering
The second violation concerns Google's Play Store policies that prevented app developers from directing users to cheaper offers outside Google's ecosystem—including alternative payment methods and subscription deals on the web. The DMA explicitly forbids such restrictions. The EU has ordered Google to allow developers to steer consumers to external offers.
Reactions and Implications
Google's president of global affairs, Kent Walker, called the fine "product degradation driven by a small group of self-serving complainants," arguing that compliance will strip away real-time search features Europeans value, such as instant pricing and availability for hotels and flights, and dismantle safety protections on Google Play.
The ruling comes amid heightened transatlantic trade tensions, with the EU asserting its "sovereign right" to regulate US tech companies. Google can appeal the decision and seek interim measures to suspend the remedies.
This is not the first DMA enforcement action: last year Apple was fined €500 million and Meta €200 million for similar violations. The Open Markets Institute called the fines the "bare minimum" for a company with over $400 billion in annual revenue.
The DMA forces Google to strip away real-time search features Europeans love – like instant pricing and direct availability for hotels, flights, and restaurants – and dismantle safety protections on Google Play.
Source: the Guardian