The European Court of Justice has upheld a record €4.1 billion fine against Google for anti-competitive practices involving Android.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has confirmed a €4.1 billion fine against Google, marking the largest antitrust penalty ever imposed by the European Union. The ruling stems from Google’s practices related to its Android operating system, which the EU Commission deemed as stifling competition and strengthening the dominance of its search engine.

The case centers on Google’s requirement for smartphone manufacturers and mobile network operators to pre-install a suite of Google apps, including Chrome and Google Search, in order to access the Google Play Store. This practice, which began in 2011, ensured that internet traffic on Android devices was funneled through Google’s search engine, bolstering its advertising revenue. The EU Commission also criticized Google’s agreements that prevented device makers from offering alternative, non-Google-approved versions of Android.

Initially, the EU Commission imposed a €4.3 billion fine in 2018, citing these practices as a deliberate attempt to maintain Google’s dominance in the search engine market. Google argued that bundling its apps was necessary to recoup its investment in Android. While the company later modified its practices to allow manufacturers to use individual services without bundling Chrome and Google Search, it challenged the fine in court.

In 2022, the EU’s General Court upheld the Commission’s decision but reduced the fine to €4.1 billion, citing insufficient evidence regarding certain payments Google made to manufacturers to exclusively pre-install its search app. Google appealed the decision, but the ECJ has now ruled that the lower court’s judgment was sound and final, leaving the €4.1 billion fine intact.

This decision is part of a broader crackdown on Google’s business practices in Europe. Just this week, a Swedish court ordered Google to pay €1.3 billion in damages for disadvantaging price comparison platforms. In 2017, the EU imposed a €2.4 billion fine for similar anti-competitive behavior, which was upheld in 2024.

The ruling underscores the EU’s commitment to enforcing competition laws and curbing monopolistic practices by tech giants. Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, faces increasing scrutiny and legal challenges across Europe, with regulators aiming to ensure a fair playing field for competitors in the digital market.