EU fines Google 890 million euro
On July 23, 2026 the European Commission adopted two non-compliance decisions against Google under the Digital Markets Act, with fines totalling 890 million euro: 460 million for giving its own services preferential treatment in search results, and 430 million for preventing developers from steering users to alternative channels on Google Play. This issue covers the July 23 agenda and was published on July 25, 2026 to complete the archive.
Two separate decisions in one day
The Commission found Google in breach of the Digital Markets Act on two counts. The first is self-preferencing in search: Google presents its own services in areas such as shopping, hotels, transport and sports more prominently at the top of the results page, with enhanced visuals and filters, while comparable third-party services do not get the same prominence. The second concerns steering restrictions on Google Play: app developers are prevented from freely communicating with users and from promoting offers and concluding contracts through distribution channels of their own choosing, including third-party app stores. The fines are 460 million and 430 million euro respectively, 890 million euro in total.
What Google must change, and how long it has
The decisions require Google to bring both practices to an end. On the search side, third-party services are to be treated fairly; on Play, developers are to be able to communicate directly with users outside the store, both technically and contractually. The Commission also assessed that the steering-related fees on Play, and how long they apply, go beyond what the Digital Markets Act permits.
Google has 60 days to comply. If the required changes are not made within that window, periodic penalty payments of up to 5% of its worldwide turnover come into play. These are described as Google's first fines under the Digital Markets Act, and the sources do not report an announced appeal by the company.
The rules of visibility are no longer set by the platform alone
What matters to businesses here is not the size of the fine but the rule behind it. Who appears at the top of a results page is becoming a question for regulators, not only for algorithms. For intermediaries such as comparison sites, travel and hotel platforms and price comparison services, that means a better chance of being seen in their own categories. The steering freedom on Play means businesses selling inside apps can invite users to their own, lower-commission channels. Both threads point the same way: the hand on the gate can change.
What it means for businesses in Türkiye
The decision binds the European Union market and does not apply directly in Türkiye. That said, product changes at large platforms rarely stay in one market; interface and policy adjustments tend to spread to other countries over time. The lesson for businesses in Türkiye is mainly strategic: if all of your traffic depends on a single platform's shop window, your business changes when that window's rules change. For businesses selling subscriptions or digital products through apps, steering freedom carries the prospect of lower commission costs. In intermediated sectors such as hotels, travel, real estate and price comparison, the balance of visibility in search results may be reshaped over the medium term. The concrete preparation is this: build your own channels (site, email list, WhatsApp, app) strong enough to work independently of platform traffic, and keep the customer relationship on your side.
The UNALSOFT take
Our reading is this: platform rules can favour you today and work against you tomorrow, so the question is not which platform wins but how many legs you stand on. With your own site, your own data and direct communication channels, a rule change shifts your channel mix rather than shaking your business. That is the order we work in through our web design service: the channels you own first, the channels you rent second. Platforms stay tools; the customer relationship stays yours.
Do not lean on a single channel.
Let's map where your traffic comes from and which channel is genuinely yours.