In 2018, Google was fined a record 4.34 billion euros ($4.9 billion) in Europe for abusing its Android monopoly. The company has spent the intervening years challenging that decision, but the continent’s highest court has put an end to that. The Court of Justice of the European Union has confirmed the sanction, which means that Google has run out of options.
Google’s fight may not have turned out the way the company wanted, but it was not in vain. The initial amount was cut slightly by a lower court in 2022, bringing the total to a still-record 4.1 billion euros ($4.7 billion). And that appears to be the amount Google will have to pay, since there are no further avenues for appeal.
The fine arises from the way Google bundles apps and services with Android phones. The EU disagreed with Google search and Chrome being the default options on Android. Even devices made by other companies, such as Samsung and Xiaomi, include Google apps as default under the Android licensing agreement, giving Google an unfair advantage, according to European antitrust regulators. This should not be confused with a €2.95 billion ($3.45 billion) fine against Google’s advertising monopoly issued by the European Union last year.
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