Google must open Android to rival AI assistants, EU says
EU orders Google to open Android to rival AI assistants and share search-data with competitors starting in 2027, reshaping mobile AI and search markets.
The European Commission on Thursday ordered Google to give competing AI assistants full access to the Android operating system, a move that will allow rival services such as ChatGPT and Claude to operate across core smartphone functions. The decision, taken under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, requires that users be able to choose alternative AI assistants instead of the default Google offering, and it explicitly references “Android access for AI assistants” as a central objective of the ruling. The step reflects EU concern that the ability to summon an assistant is becoming a key gateway to mobile services on devices where Android powers roughly 60 percent of installations.
What the Commission ordered
The Commission’s ruling mandates that Google modify Android so third-party AI providers can be invoked using direct voice or text triggers and perform essential tasks currently tied to Google’s own assistant. These tasks include placing ride-hailing requests, retrieving local information, and answering queries inside chat applications. Regulators said the measure aims to prevent users from being constrained to Google’s Gemini assistant and to let each assistant compete on strengths and functionality.
The order is grounded in the Digital Markets Act, the EU law designed to curb the gatekeeping power of large platforms. The Commission argued that controlling the entry point for AI assistants gives dominant vendors a decisive advantage, and that opening Android will help foster genuine competition in the rapidly evolving market for on-device assistants.
Timing and technical rollout
Not all changes take effect immediately. The Commission set staggered deadlines tied to the technical work required to adapt Android’s codebase for third-party assistants. The provision enabling rival assistants to integrate with core phone functions will come into force in July 2027, giving Google time to enact the required software modifications. Separately, the Commission said Google must begin sharing selected search-data with competitors from the start of 2027, a requirement that the EU intends to implement from January 1, 2027.
Regulators said the transition windows recognize the non-trivial engineering needed to preserve system stability while enabling alternative AI access points. They also emphasized that early intervention should still allow a competitive market to develop before Google’s own integrations become entrenched.
Google’s response and legal options
Google warned that the measures could harm device security and user privacy by exposing sensitive system permissions to external apps. The company argued that broad third-party access to Android functions risks “sensitive and far-reaching permissions” being granted to outside services and said the decision could be challenged in court. EU officials acknowledged a security exception in the ruling: Google may lawfully restrict third-party access where there are substantiated risks to user data or system integrity.
The company also described the search-data sharing requirement as troubling, saying that releasing information tied to private searches—even if anonymized—could weaken privacy protections, expose commercial secrets, and raise national-security concerns.
Search-data sharing requirement
In a second decision the Commission announced alongside the Android ruling, Google must provide other search providers with access to certain datasets it uses to optimize its own search services. The obligation covers aggregated and anonymized signals such as popular search queries and click patterns, and also extends to allowing AI chatbots with searching capabilities to draw on those datasets.
The Commission framed this as a corrective step because it views Google’s data resources as a competitive barrier that prevents rivals from building comparable search-driven AI features. Regulators said they will establish a transparent formula for pricing the shared data and a clear access procedure to prevent discriminatory practices.
Context: broader EU scrutiny of smartphone platforms
The Google decision follows wider EU scrutiny of major smartphone platforms. The Commission has opened parallel proceedings with Apple over access to iOS for non-Apple AI assistants, and Apple in early June 2026 postponed the EU rollout of its own generative-AI features after conflicts with regulators. Apple has argued that limiting third-party assistants protects user privacy, while the Commission has rejected lengthy carve-outs from the DMA.
Officials stressed a legal distinction between the Google and Apple situations: because Google already offers an assistant embedded in Android, regulators said the market impact of maintaining exclusivity is more immediate and required earlier intervention.
Potential impact on users and developers
If implemented as ordered, the changes could let consumers choose a default assistant for specific tasks or summon non-Google assistants through voice triggers currently reserved for Google’s system. Developers of rival models would gain clearer technical pathways to integrate their assistants with phone functions such as navigation, messaging, and ride-hailing services. The Commission believes these changes will stimulate innovation and give consumers access to a wider variety of AI behaviors and privacy models.
However, the requirement raises practical and policy questions about how privacy, data minimization, and system security will be enforced across multiple assistant providers. Regulators and Google will need to reconcile opening interfaces with safeguards that prevent misuse of sensitive permissions.
The Commission’s twin rulings mark a significant test of the Digital Markets Act’s reach into the architecture of mobile platforms and the data underlying search and AI features. The decisions set concrete timelines—January 1, 2027 for search-data sharing and July 2027 for opening Android to rival AI assistants—and establish a framework likely to reshape competition among tech giants and independent AI developers in Europe.
