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Google changes EU Search under DMA, tests background Song Search

Google is overhauling EU Search to comply with DMA and warns quality will drop, while its app tests background Song Search.

AI News Feed · 2026-09-09 03:48

Ars Technica and Android Authority said Google confirmed the Search changes to Reuters. The adjustments target vertical search services such as hotels and flights, where results from companies like Expedia and Booking.com will now appear before Google’s own Flights, Hotels and related links. The European Commission has argued that the previous display of these results favored Google’s own services and created an unlevel playing field. The two publications gave different accounts of a fine the Commission imposed in July over the practices: Ars Technica said it was 460 million euros ($543 million), while Android Authority described it as a $1 billion fine.

Google’s Nick Fox told Reuters, as Ars Technica reported: “To comply with DMA requirements, we’re making significant changes to Search in Europe. These changes degrade the user experience for Europeans, boosting online intermediaries at the expense of local businesses and removing helpful features people rely on every day.”

In a separate development, Android Authority said that in version 17.56.14 of the Google app, it had enabled an upgrade that keeps Song Search running after users switch to another app or the home screen. When the app identifies a song, a notification appears. Currently, leaving Song Search cancels the process, and the user has to start again.

The background listening does not appear to stay active for long, possibly because of battery concerns, Android Authority said. If no result is available, the notification reads “Tap to search the music again,” which restarts the search without reopening the Google app. Tapping an identified song opens an AI Mode result instead of the standard search results page, which the publication said could be an early sign that AI Mode will become the default for song identification.

Android Authority noted that Pixel’s Now Playing feature offers a similar notification and had been removed months ago but returned this week. It said it could not predict the rollout schedule for the Song Search upgrade but found the feature working as expected in brief testing.