EU Commission obliges Google to make changes to Android and Search

At its core, the aim is to make access easier for rivals. Specifically, Google is to open selected services on Android to competing providers and provide interfaces through which competitors can use data from Google Search for their own products, such as AI assistants. The EU Commission intends to strengthen competition in digital markets and reduce dependence on a single provider.

Background: The Digital Markets Act

The decisions fall within the remit of Technology Commissioner Henna Virkkunen, who in the EU Commission is responsible, among other things, for the digital single market and enforcement of the DMA. The Brussels authority relies on the Digital Markets Act, which entered into force in 2022, which designates large online platforms as so-called gatekeepers and imposes specific obligations on them.

Amount of the fine and reasoning

In addition to the opening-up obligations, Google must pay a fine of 4.125 billion euros, according to the EU Commission. This sanction is linked to earlier unlawful restrictions that the group had maintained, in the Commission's view, in its Android services and in search. The amount of the fine reflects the severity and duration of the infringements.

With the DMA decisions, Brussels is pursuing the goal of increasing consumer choice and enabling innovation by competitors. Should Google miss the deadlines or implement the requirements inadequately, further penalty payments are threatened. The Commission has repeatedly emphasised in the past that it will consistently monitor compliance with the DMA.

Outlook on implementation

The decisions now published are part of an ongoing proceeding in which the EU Commission is scrutinising the business practices of large digital groups. Observers see the step as a further milestone in the implementation of the DMA and a signal to other gatekeepers that infringements of European competition law have consequences.

For Google, the order means a significant intervention in the previously closed architecture of Android. The group must technically adapt its platform to provide third-party providers with the required access. At the same time, it remains to be seen how the measures will be implemented in practice and what impact they will have on competition in the European mobile and search market.