Google is considering significant changes to its search results in Europe to avoid a fine of more than $35 billion, Reuters reports. The European Commission accuses the company of violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA), in particular by prioritizing its own services, such as Google Flights or Google Hotels, over third-party platforms.
Regulators first raised the claims in March 2025, also pointing to restrictions on developers in the Play Store who could not inform users about alternative ways to access applications.
In a new proposal, Google said it was ready to give "vertical search services" (VSS) such as Expedia and Hotels.com a level playing field. To do this, special VSS boxes will appear in the results, which will display results from third-party services in the same format as Google's own products. The choice of which box to show will be made according to "objective and non-discriminatory criteria."
At the same time, results from airlines or rental services will not be excluded - they will appear in their own blocks above or below the VSS box, depending on the relevance of the query.
Similar demands forced Apple to open up iOS to third-party app stores. Now Google is also having to revisit key elements of its business model that previously seemed untouchable.
It is not yet known whether these changes will satisfy European regulators. If not, the company faces one of the largest antitrust fines in EU history.