Google has been fined €890m (£759m) by the European Commission for favouring its own apps and services over rivals, marking the first major enforcement action against the company under the EU's Digital Markets Act. The Commission found that Google gave its own services an unfair advantage, limiting consumer choice, while Google has criticised the ruling, warning it will be forced to strip out popular real-time search features and weaken safety protections in the Google Play store as a result.

The fine consists of two separate penalties: €460m for favouring Google's own services in flight and hotel booking search results over competitors, and €430m over Play Store rules that prevented users from being shown cheaper offers available outside Google's marketplace. Google, which has a lengthy history of clashes with European regulators, now has 60 days to comply or challenge the decision in court, while EU officials including competition chief Teresa Ribera and tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen argued the move is needed to ensure fair competition and innovation.