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The European Commission is still discussing Google’s compliance measures after issuing two Digital Markets Act (DMA) non-compliance decisions totaling €890 million on 23 July 2026. The talks concern both Google Search and Google Play: whether Search gives rival services fair treatment and whether app developers can direct customers to cheaper purchasing options outside Google Play.
Google has begun changing how some Search results are displayed and has announced, with some changes already introduced, revisions to developer fees on Google Play. The Commission has not declared those measures sufficient. It is assessing them and consulting market operators and other third parties.
What the €890 million fine covers
The total is not one penalty for a single practice. It combines two separate European Commission decisions issued on 23 July 2026.
| Platform surface | Penalty | Conduct the Commission challenged | Required remedy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Search | €460 million | Preferential treatment for Google’s own shopping, hotel, transport and sports services over rival services in Search results | Fair, non-discriminatory treatment of competing services |
| Google Play | €430 million | Restrictions that prevented app developers from steering users to alternative purchasing channels, which can be cheaper than buying through Google Play | Allow developers to communicate and steer users to options outside Google Play |
| Total | €890 million | Two DMA non-compliance decisions | Compliance with both sets of obligations |
The cases therefore affect different groups. The Search decision is mainly about rival vertical-search services competing for visibility. The Play decision affects app developers, users and alternative payment or purchasing channels.
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Why the Commission says Google violated the DMA
Search self-preferencing
In the Search case, the Commission says Google favored its own specialized services when presenting results. The covered categories include shopping, hotels, transport and sports. The concern is not simply that Google operates services in those areas; it is that its own results allegedly received preferential treatment compared with rival services that provide similar information.
The remedy requires Google to treat rivals fairly and without discrimination in the relevant Search displays. In practice, the Commission is examining whether changes to the way those results appear give competing services a comparable opportunity to reach users.
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Google Play anti-steering restrictions
The Play decision concerns “steering”: a developer’s ability to tell users that a product or subscription can be purchased elsewhere and to provide a route to that external option. The Commission says Google’s restrictions prevented developers from directing users to alternative channels outside Google Play, including channels that may offer lower prices.
The required change is not a mandate that every purchase move outside Google Play. It is a requirement that developers be permitted to inform users about alternatives and direct them to those choices.
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What “in talks” means in October 2026
On 14 October, Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said the Commission and Google were still in dialogue about compliance. He said: “We are currently in dialogue with Google, so I’ll not prejudge the outcome of this dialogue, but I can guarantee you that the Commission services are currently in dialogue with Google precisely on this issue.”
That statement means the Commission has not issued a final public finding that Google’s latest changes fully satisfy either decision. Commission services are carrying out a detailed assessment and seeking views from market operators and other third parties before reaching a conclusion.
As reported on 15 October, Google had started changing Search-result displays. On Google Play, it had announced changes to the fees charged to developers and had introduced some of them, but the available reporting did not establish that the Commission had accepted those changes as complete compliance.
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Google’s response and the dispute over Search features
Google president of global affairs Kent Walker objected to the decisions, calling the approach “not fair competition.” He also warned that complying with the Search remedy could require Google to remove real-time features, including live hotel and flight prices.
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That argument highlights a central disagreement. Google presents some integrated information as useful real-time functionality, while the Commission’s decision focuses on whether Google’s own services receive an advantage over rivals. The ongoing assessment will determine whether Google can retain those features while meeting the requirement for fair treatment.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happens if Google does not comply
The Commission gave Google 60 days to comply with the July decisions. Reported potential daily penalty payments could reach 5% of Google’s average daily worldwide turnover if it fails to meet the obligations. That figure is a possible enforcement measure, not a statement that the Commission has already imposed a daily payment.
The immediate process is therefore review rather than a new fine announcement: the Commission examines the changes, tests whether they address the specific violations and considers feedback from affected market participants. If it concludes that measures are inadequate, further enforcement steps remain possible under the DMA.
How the two decisions could affect users and businesses
For people using Google Search
- Results for shopping, hotels, transport and sports could be displayed under rules intended to give rival services fairer treatment.
- Google may alter how integrated information appears, although the final balance between live features and rival access has not been announced.
For app developers
- Developers should gain greater freedom to tell users about purchasing options outside Google Play.
- Changes to Play fees could affect the economics of selling subscriptions, digital goods and other in-app offerings, but the reported material does not specify a single universal replacement fee.
For competing services
- Rival shopping, hotel, transport and sports services are the direct beneficiaries of the Search remedy if rankings and presentation become less favorable to Google’s own offerings.
- Alternative payment and purchasing channels may receive more traffic if developers can legally and practically steer users to them.
What to watch next
- Commission’s compliance assessment: The Commission must decide whether Google’s Search display changes and Play policy and fee changes satisfy the July orders.
- Feedback from market participants: Operators and other third parties are being consulted, which could expose practical problems that are not visible from Google’s announcements alone.
- Any additional enforcement: If the measures fall short, the Commission can pursue further DMA enforcement, including potential daily penalty payments under the framework described for the decisions.
- Google’s product choices: Google’s warning about live hotel and flight pricing indicates that some Search features could change if the company concludes they cannot be maintained under the required treatment of rivals.
As of mid-October 2026, the clearest answer is that the EU–Google dispute is unresolved. The €890 million has already been ordered in two penalties, Google has started making changes, and the Commission is deciding whether those changes deliver fairer Search competition and genuine steering freedom on Google Play.
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