Google lost its appeal against a record €4.13bn EU antitrust fine, with Europe's highest court upholding penalties related to abusive practices involving the Android operating system. The European Court of Justice dismissed Google's challenge, confirming that the tech giant illegally leveraged its mobile platform to suppress competition and protect its search engine dominance.

The ruling stems from a 2018 European Commission decision finding that Google required smartphone makers to pre-install Google Search and Chrome as conditions for accessing the Play Store. The General Court had previously reduced the original €4.34bn penalty, but the core antitrust violations were validated. This forms part of broader sanctions totaling €8bn against Google between 2017 and 2019.

The decision strengthens Brussels' position in regulating US tech giants, particularly as the EU enforces its Digital Markets Act. While Google successfully appealed against a separate €1.5bn advertising-related fine, the Android case reinforces scrutiny over how dominant platforms use their market power. European consumers benefit from clearer rules preventing forced bundling of services.

Google argued the judgment overlooked investments ensuring Android remained open and interoperable. The company faces ongoing EU investigations under the Digital Markets Act regarding search result preferences and app store steering rules. These cases have drawn criticism from US President Trump, who called EU fines a "form of taxation" targeting American companies.