Google has lost its final EU court fight over a €4.1 billion Android antitrust fine, after Europe’s top court confirmed that regulators were right to punish the company for abusing Android’s market power.
The European Court of Justice dismissed Google and Alphabet’s appeal on Thursday, which means the earlier ruling against the company now stands. The case goes back to 2018, when EU regulators said Google used Android to strengthen the dominance of Google Search on mobile devices.
The European Commission had accused Google of placing unfair conditions on phone makers that wanted access to the Play Store. Regulators said Google pushed manufacturers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome, made payments for exclusive Search placement, and blocked some companies from using alternative Android versions.
Google argued that the decision ignored its investment in keeping Android open, free, and available to users, phone makers, and developers. The company also said it changed its agreements in 2018 to follow the EU’s original order.
The ruling matters because Android remains one of the world’s most widely used mobile operating systems, and the Play Store gives Google major influence over apps, search, and mobile services. It also strengthens the EU’s wider push to control how large tech companies use their platforms.
The decision now opens the door for possible lawsuits from companies that claim Google’s Android practices hurt their business.
