Australia: Federal Court issued order requiring Google to pay AUD 55 million over anti-competitive agreements pertaining to pre-installed search engines on Android devices

On 2 December 2025, the Australian Federal Court ordered Google to pay a penalty of AUD 55 million following the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's (ACCC) investigation over anti-competitive agreements involving the pre-installation of Google Search on Android phones. The ruling concerns arrangements between Google and Australian telecommunications providers, including Telstra, Optus, and TPG, affecting the pre-installation and default status of search engines on Android mobile devices sold to consumers. The ruling was imposed over agreements between 2019 to 2021 that required Telstra and Optus to exclusively pre-install Google Search, in exchange for revenue-sharing on advertising. Google admitted the conduct and provided a court-enforceable undertaking in August 2025 to remove pre-installation and default search restrictions from its contracts. Telstra, Optus, and TPG had given similar undertakings, committing not to enter exclusive arrangements with Google, allowing device-level configuration and permitting agreements with alternative search providers.