Google Faces Fines Over Google Play If It Doesn't Make More Concessions (reuters.com)
(Wednesday December 10, 2025 @10:30PM (BeauHD)
from the what-to-expect dept.)
- Reference: 0180357913
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/12/10/2238215/google-faces-fines-over-google-play-if-it-doesnt-make-more-concessions
- Source link: https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/google-faces-fines-over-google-play-if-it-doesnt-make-more-concessions-sources-2025-12-10/
EU regulators say Google's Play Store changes still don't meet fairness rules and are [1]preparing a potentially hefty 2026 fine unless Google makes deeper concessions . Reuters reports:
> Google Play has been in the European Commission's crosshairs since March, with regulators singling out technical restrictions preventing app developers from steering users to other channels for cheaper offers. Another issue is the service fee charged by Google for facilitating an app developer's initial acquisition of a new customer via Google Play which the regulator said goes beyond what is justified.
>
> Tweaks to Google Play announced in August to make it easier for app developers to direct customers to other channels and choose a fee model are still falling short, the people said, with the EU antitrust regulator viewing Apple's recent changes to its App Store as a benchmark. [...] Google can still offer to make more changes before regulators impose a fine, likely in the first quarter of the next year, the people said, adding that the timing of any sanction can still change.
"We continue to work closely with the European Commission in its ongoing investigation but have serious concerns that further changes would put Android and Play users at risk of malware, scams and data theft. Unlike iOS, Android is already open by design," a Google spokesperson said.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/google-faces-fines-over-google-play-if-it-doesnt-make-more-concessions-sources-2025-12-10/
> Google Play has been in the European Commission's crosshairs since March, with regulators singling out technical restrictions preventing app developers from steering users to other channels for cheaper offers. Another issue is the service fee charged by Google for facilitating an app developer's initial acquisition of a new customer via Google Play which the regulator said goes beyond what is justified.
>
> Tweaks to Google Play announced in August to make it easier for app developers to direct customers to other channels and choose a fee model are still falling short, the people said, with the EU antitrust regulator viewing Apple's recent changes to its App Store as a benchmark. [...] Google can still offer to make more changes before regulators impose a fine, likely in the first quarter of the next year, the people said, adding that the timing of any sanction can still change.
"We continue to work closely with the European Commission in its ongoing investigation but have serious concerns that further changes would put Android and Play users at risk of malware, scams and data theft. Unlike iOS, Android is already open by design," a Google spokesperson said.
[1] https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/google-faces-fines-over-google-play-if-it-doesnt-make-more-concessions-sources-2025-12-10/
Open for now (Score:3)
by Hentes ( 2461350 )
> Unlike iOS, Android is already open by design
That's not an argument they will be able to make once they block sideloading.
Real problem is criminal motivations (Score:2)
Fairness is a weak sauce problem. Much larger problem is incentives in favor of criminals. How many Android apps are really trustworthy? "Fairness" for crooks doesn't help.
I'm increasingly convinced it's a waste of time to speculate about solutions, but I still think a "business model" tab could help a little bit. Most of the time the developer would just select from the main options, and in most of those cases the google could say yay or nay without revealing too many details. Of course there also needs to
Re: (Score:3)
Scammers are not going to write "scam" as their business model, they can always write "currently capturing users at a loss, we'll later launch a paid offer based on a freemium model". I don't think google should have any business saying yes or no if they're not auditing the code. It really isn't fair if they just refuse apps based on justifications that amount to "I don't like you".
Re: (Score:2)
Is there a huge difference between a criminal organization and a multinational corporation?