Google won’t need to divest its Chrome browser however must change a few of its enterprise practices, a federal choose has dominated. The ruling comes greater than a 12 months after the identical choose dominated that Google had acted illegally to take care of a monopoly in web search.

Following the ruling final 12 months, the Division of Justice had proposed that Google needs to be compelled to promote Chrome. However in a 230-page decision, Decide Amit Mehta stated the federal government had “overreached” in its request. “Google won’t be required to divest Chrome; nor will the courtroom embody a contingent divestiture of the Android working system within the last judgment,” Mehta wrote. “Plaintiffs overreached in in search of compelled divesture of those key belongings, which Google didn’t use to impact any unlawful restraints.”

Google will, nevertheless, now not be permitted to strike unique offers across the distribution of search, Google Assistant, Gemini or Chrome, Mehta dominated. For instance, Google cannot require gadget makers to pre-load its apps with a view to get entry to the Play Retailer. It can also’t situation revenue-sharing preparations on the position of its apps. However Google will be capable of proceed to pay companions — like Apple — for pre-loading search and different apps into their merchandise. Mehta stated that ending these preparations may trigger “downstream harms to distribution companions, associated markets, and shoppers.”

Mehta additionally dominated that Google might want to share a few of its search information with rivals going ahead. “Making information out there to rivals would chop the dimensions hole created by Google’s unique distribution agreements and, in flip, the standard hole that adopted,” he wrote. The corporate just isn’t required handy over information associated to its advertisements.

Mehta’s ruling is basically a win for the search large, which had argued that divesting Chrome or Android “would hurt People and America’s international know-how management.” In a statement Tuesday, Google stated it had “issues” about some points of the ruling.

“Right now’s choice acknowledges how a lot the trade has modified by the arrival of AI, which is giving folks so many extra methods to seek out data,” the corporate stated. “Now the Courtroom has imposed limits on how we distribute Google companies, and would require us to share Search information with rivals. We’ve issues about how these necessities will influence our customers and their privateness, and we’re reviewing the choice intently.”

The corporate beforehand indicated it plans to appeal Mehta’s authentic choice, however stated in June it could look forward to a last choice within the case.

Replace, September 2, 2025, 4:28PM PT: This submit has been up to date so as to add an announcement from Google on the ruling.