The European Court of Justice dismissed Google's final appeal on July 2, 2026, upholding a €4.1 billion antitrust fine related to Google's Android practices [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. The court confirmed the penalty for Google Search's abuse of a dominant market position through Android, rejecting the company's legal arguments [1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]. Judges said, "The appeal brought by Google and its parent company Alphabet against the judgment of the General Court is dismissed, thereby confirming the penalty imposed for Google Search’s abuse of a dominant position in the context of the Android operating system" [1].
The fine stems from Google's practice of requiring phone manufacturers to pre-install Google Search, Chrome browser, and the Google Play app store on Android devices, blocking rivals from competing on equal terms [1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 11, 7]. Google argued the penalty was unfair and hampered innovation, noting users could still download competing apps [2, 9]. The company said, "Android provides more choice for everyone and supports thousands of businesses. This judgment fails to recognise our significant investment to ensure Android remains open," adding it had adapted agreements since 2018 to comply with the original decision and remains focused on innovation and openness [1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10].
The original fine was imposed by the European Commission in 2018 at €4.34 billion [1, 2, 4, 6, 11, 8, 9, 10]. A lower EU tribunal reduced the fine to €4.1 billion in 2022 [1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 11, 8, 9, 10]. Over the past decade, Google has accrued approximately €11 billion in antitrust fines across the EU [1, 6, 7, 10]. The current fine amounts to less than 3% of Alphabet’s annual profit [4, 10].
The EU’s Digital Markets Act is expected to trigger further investigations and possible penalties for Google over alleged self-preferencing and market dominance abuses [1, 6, 9, 10]. Google has accused the EU of neglecting similar anti-competitive practices by Apple on iPhones [2, 9].
