Written by: Haim Ravia, Dotan Hammer
On July 23, 2026, the European Commission adopted two decisions, finding Google in breach of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) for self-preferencing its own services on Google Search and for imposing anti-steering restrictions on app developers using Google Play. The Commission imposed combined fines of €890 million — €460 million for the self-preferencing violations and €430 million for the anti-steering violations.
On the self-preferencing finding, the Commission concluded that Google gives preferential treatment to its own services — including shopping, hotels, transport, and sports results — over those of third parties in Google Search, displaying them more prominently at the top of search results with enhanced visuals and filters, while similar third-party services do not receive the same prominence. Under the DMA, gatekeepers must not treat their own services more favorably in ranking than third-party services, and must apply transparent, fair, and non-discriminatory conditions to such ranking.
Regarding the anti-steering finding, the Commission found that Google prevents app developers who distribute their apps via Google Play from freely communicating and promoting offers and concluding contracts with users through alternative distribution channels, including third-party app stores. While the DMA permits Google to receive a fee for facilitating the initial acquisition of a new customer, the level of Google’s steering-related fees and the length of the charging period exceeded what is deemed compliant with the DMA.
As part of the two decisions, the Commission ordered Google to implement measures to treat third-party services on Google Search in a fair and non-discriminatory manner, and to allow app developers to freely communicate, promote offers, and conclude contracts with users both within and outside the Google Play app store. Google must comply within 60 days, failing which, it risks periodic penalty payments of up to 5% of its total worldwide turnover. The Commission noted that Google has proposed and begun testing changes, including how it presents its own services for shopping, hotels, and flights on Google Search, and has rolled out changes related to its steering terms—which the Commission described as “substantial progress” and “good progress” toward compliance, respectively.
Notably, the Commission took note of Google’s proposals on how it plans to apply the principles of the decision to AI Overviews and AI Mode, signaling that the DMA’s non-discrimination rules will extend to AI-powered search features.
Click here to read the European Commission’s press release on the DMA enforcement decisions against Google.
