Privacy Groups File DMA Complaint Against Alphabet for Android Restrictions

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is facing a formal complaint from five privacy advocacy groups over alleged breaches of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The organizations—European Digital Rights, Free Software Foundation Europe, Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte e.V., Homo Digitalis, and ARTICLE 19—have urged the European Commission to investigate Alphabet’s practices on the Android platform. They claim that Android’s core services are intentionally designed to obscure or restrict users’ ability to disable pre-installed “gatekeeper” apps, thus limiting user choice and software interoperability.

The complaint highlights that Android issues intimidating warnings to users who attempt to disable these pre-installed apps, suggesting that doing so may compromise the device’s functionality. This, according to the complainants, acts as a deterrent and undermines the DMA’s objective of promoting fair competition and user empowerment in digital markets. The complaint follows Alphabet’s recent DMA compliance report and discussions with the European Commission during a workshop held on 1 July.

A spokesperson for Google responded, stating that uninstalling apps on Android devices is straightforward and noted that similar complaints have been dismissed by other regulators, such as the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). However, the scrutiny comes amid increased enforcement of the DMA, which has applied since May 2023 to designated gatekeepers, including Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft, and, since 2024, Booking.com.

Recent enforcement actions under the DMA have included fines of €500 million against Apple and €200 million against Meta for non-compliance. The Commission found Apple restricted developers from directing users to alternative offers and content, while Meta’s advertising model forced users to either consent to targeted advertising or pay a subscription. The outcome of the complaint against Alphabet could further shape the regulatory landscape for digital gatekeepers in the EU.