The European Union’s top court has rejected Google and Alphabet’s appeal in the Android antitrust case, leaving a €4.1 billion fine in place. The ruling closes a long-running legal fight, and Google has no remaining path to appeal in this matter.
In its announcement, the court confirmed the lower court’s position that parts of Google’s conduct around Android amounted to anti-competitive behavior. After the decision, Alphabet shares fell about 1% in premarket trading in the US.
Pre-installation agreements sat at the center of the case
The dispute traces back to an EU investigation launched in 2015. The European Commission argued that Google used Android’s strong position in the mobile operating system market to require phone makers to pre-install Google Search, Chrome, and other Google apps through contractual arrangements, giving its own services an unfair edge.
In 2018, the Commission imposed a record €4.34 billion fine on Google, and the company appealed. In 2022, the General Court removed part of the Commission’s findings and lowered the penalty to €4.1 billion. The latest judgment keeps that figure unchanged and brings the case to a final close.
Google says the ruling ignores its investment in an open Android model
Google responded with disappointment. A company spokesperson said Android has expanded choice for users and supported thousands of businesses, while arguing that the judgment failed to recognize Google’s investment in keeping Android open, interoperable, and free.
Google also said it had already changed its agreements with manufacturers after the initial ruling in 2018. Those adjustments included allowing users in Europe to choose non-Google search engines and browsers when setting up new phones. The company said it will keep focusing on innovation and openness in the ecosystem.
Case ends as EU enforcement shifts toward DMA and DSA
The €4.1 billion penalty is one of the largest competition fines tied to a major technology company in Europe. The report said legal experts view the Android case as the closing chapter of an earlier phase in which the EU relied on traditional competition law tools to confront Big Tech.
The bloc is now operating with newer rules, including the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act, which give regulators broader room to intervene in the business practices of companies such as Apple, Meta, and Google. The report also noted that Europe’s aggressive scrutiny of US tech groups has drawn criticism from American political figures. It said the current Trump administration has warned that continued treatment of US companies as a source of fines could trigger retaliatory tariffs.