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Google must pay €4.1bn fine for using Android to 'block' rivals
BBC • • general
Key Points:
- Europe's top court has upheld a €4.1 billion fine against Google for using its Android operating system to block rivals, reducing the original €4.3 billion penalty issued in 2018.
- The European Commission found Google guilty of requiring manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome to access the Play Store, paying for exclusive pre-installations, and blocking devices with alternative Android versions.
- Google defended its practices, stating the ruling overlooks their efforts to keep Android open and interoperable, and noted they had adapted agreements to comply with the initial decision.
- This fine is the largest ever imposed by the European Commission on Google, adding to previous penalties including €2.4 billion in 2024 for shopping service abuses and €2.95 billion in 2025 for favoring its own ads.
- Despite the large fine, it is not the biggest Google has faced globally, with a Russian court imposing an unprecedented fine exceeding the world’s GDP for restricting state media on YouTube.
