EU upholds antitrust ruling against Google’s actions on Android, drops fine to €4.1 billion

In 2018, the European Union ruled that Google’s app bundling with Android, essentially forcing its partners to include a long list of Google apps with their phones, was illegal. Google appealed that ruling, but the EU has just announced that it will uphold the decision, despite lowering the fine.

The EU today announced that it would uphold its previous court decision that Google had violated antitrust laws by bundling its own apps with Android phones from various manufacturers.

Specifically, the Commission said that Google was breaking rules by forcing Android makers to preinstall Google Search, Chrome, and other apps, as well as requiring that Android “forks” were not allowed. Google considers modifications to Android a “fork” when it changes core elements of the platform, including breaking APIs or core UX designs.

Google’s argument against the ruling was, in part, that many of the policies that the EU found fault with stopped Android’s ecosystem from being further fragmented, including breaking third-party apps on various devices and ensuring safe methods of obtaining new apps.

In the original ruling from the EU Commission, Google was hit with a €4.3 billion fine, which was a record-breaking antitrust fine.

Now, the EU is largely holding up that decision, with only a slight reduction in the original fine. Google will now be required to pay €4.1 billion, as the court found that Google’s revenue-sharing with manufacturers was not an abuse of its market power as the original ruling did.

Google still disagrees with the decision, saying in a brief statement to the media:

We are disappointed that the Court did not annul the decision in full. Android has created more choice for everyone, not less, and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world.

More on Google:

• Google details Android changes after Europe ruling: license fees, app bundling, forked phones
• Android’s search ‘choice screen’ for Europe will show more options, no longer auction-based
• Google opening Android search widget during setup to other search engines in Europe