Commission finds Google breached DMA rules on Search and Play

The European Commission found Google in breach of the DMA on 23 July 2026, citing conduct on Google Search and Google Play. The decisions concern self-preferencing in Search and restrictions on businesses steering consumers towards other purchase channels. The Commission had separately issued guidance on AI interoperability on Android and Search data sharing under the DMA on 16 July.

The Commission’s 23 July decisions are findings of non-compliance under the Digital Markets Act, a law that sets obligations for designated gatekeepers. In this case, the stated grounds concern how Google Search presents Google’s own services and limits on businesses directing consumers elsewhere to buy. The source material does not set out remedies, penalties, or the detailed reasoning behind either decision. It records the findings and the conduct they address.

Search and Play decisions address distinct conduct

For businesses using Google Play, the Commission’s finding concerns restrictions on steering consumers to alternative purchase channels, which it describes as often cheaper. Steering means directing a customer towards another way to complete a purchase. The account does not identify particular businesses, describe the restrictions in detail, or say what changes the decision requires. Those limits matter to anyone assessing the practical effect on a specific service.

The Search finding concerns Google favouring its own services on Google Search. The available account does not specify which services were affected, how results were ordered, or what evidence supported the decision. It also does not describe any response from Google. The site brief requests the company’s response, but none appears in the supplied facts or source text, so no position can be attributed to Google here.

Android guidance and data sharing

On 16 July 2026, the Commission provided Google with guidance concerning AI interoperability on Android and the sharing of Google Search data under the DMA. Interoperability refers, in plain terms, to systems or services being able to work with one another. The source does not state whether this guidance was a formal decision, prescribe a compliance deadline, or identify the technical steps expected of Google. It should therefore be distinguished from the two non-compliance decisions announced a week later.

The separate dates mark two different types of Commission action: guidance on Android and Search data, followed by findings concerning Search and Play. Both relate to obligations under the DMA, but the source gives no further procedural detail for either matter. It does not establish whether the guidance and the findings share evidence or a common enforcement process. That distinction leaves the precise relationship between them open.

The record leaves response and remedies open

The source states the Commission’s findings and guidance, but contains no response from Google. It also supplies no detail on a remedy, penalty, appeal, implementation timetable, or later procedural step. Those matters cannot be inferred from the finding of non-compliance alone. A fuller account would require the decision documents or a statement from the company.

The next useful information would clarify what the Commission requires Google to change on Search and Play, and how compliance will be assessed. Further detail could also explain the scope of the Android interoperability guidance and the Search data-sharing expectations. Until then, businesses can identify the areas addressed but cannot determine the precise operational obligations from this record. The Commission’s published decisions and any subsequent company response remain the key items to follow.