Google to pay €4.1bn fine for using Android to ‘block’ rivals

Europe’s top court has ordered Google to pay a €4.1bn (£3.5bn) fine for blocking rivals to its Android mobile operating system.

The European Commission It imposed a fine of €4.3bn (then £3.9bn) in 2018, but this has changed to €4.1bn in 2022.

It is the largest fine the commission has ever imposed on Google.

A Google spokesperson said the ruling failed to recognize the company’s “significant investment in ensuring Android remains open, interoperable and free.”

“In any case, we have revised our agreement to honor the original decision in 2018 and will focus on continued innovation and transparency for our users, partners and developers,” they continued.

In the year When the fine was first announced in 2018, there were three ways in which Google was said to have acted illegally.

Google’s version of Android does not prevent device owners from downloading alternative web browsers or using other search engines.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai He blogged in response, External The decision “rejects the business model that supported Android, which created more choice for everyone, not less.”

This is not the first case against Google and its parent company Alphabet by the European Commission.

In September 2024 Google has decided to pay a fine of €2.4bn (£2bn). The comparison-shopping service was passed on for abusing its market dominance.

It then fined the search giant €2.95bn (£2.5bn) in September 2025, for breaching competition rules by favoring its own products to display online ads to the detriment of rivals.

But the fine is not the biggest one imposed on Google.

In October 2024, there was a lawsuit. The Russian court filed against the company To restrict Russian state media channels on YouTube.

The fine was two undetermined rubles – more than the world’s gross domestic product.