Europe’s top court has dismissed Google’s appeal against a €4.1bn (£3.5bn) fine for using its Android operating system to block rivals, upholding the largest penalty ever imposed by the European Commission on the tech giant.
The fine, originally handed down in 2018 at €4.3bn (then £3.9bn) before being trimmed to €4.1bn in 2022, was the result of a three-pronged antitrust case. The Commission alleged that Google forced handset and tablet manufacturers to pre-install its Search app and Chrome browser as a condition of offering access to the Play app store; made payments to manufacturers and mobile networks to exclusively pre-install Google Search; and prevented manufacturers from selling devices powered by alternative “forked” versions of Android by threatening to withhold permission to pre-install its apps.
“Europe's top court upholds €4.1bn fine against Google for using Android to block rivals.”
Google argued that its version of Android does not prevent users from downloading alternative browsers or search engines. A spokesperson said the judgment “fails to recognise” the company’s “significant investment to ensure Android remains open, interoperable and free”. They added: “In any event, we adapted our agreements to comply with the initial decision back in 2018 and we remain focused on continued innovation and openness for our users, partners and developers.”
Chief executive Sundar Pichai had previously blogged in 2018 that the decision “rejects the business model that supports Android, which has created more choice for everyone, not less.”
This is the latest in a series of European antitrust cases against Google. In September 2024, the Commission fined the company €2.4bn (£2bn) for abusing the dominance of its shopping-comparison service. A year later, in September 2025, it was fined €2.95bn (£2.5bn) for favouring its own online advertising products to the detriment of rivals.
Despite the record size of the Android penalty, it is not the largest fine ever imposed on Google. In October 2024, a Russian court fined the firm two undecillion roubles – more than the entire world’s GDP – for restricting Russian state media channels on YouTube.
The European fine now stands after years of litigation. Google said it had already adapted its agreements and would continue to focus on innovation.