Google will have to allow rival AI assistants to work on Android like its own Twins does. It also has to hand over some of its search data to its competitors. The European Commission laid out both demands on Thursday.
The two decisions are under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The commission said. The law forces “gatekeeper” platforms to give competitors comparable access to their own platforms. They are mandatory specification measures, not penalties, and tell Google what to do.
“We will see emerging alternatives to AI services like Google Search and Google’s Gemini,” said Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s head of technology, adding that users in the EU should enjoy more choice.
AI competitor on Android
The first decision involves AI assistants. The Commission said today that non-Google assistants have only limited access to basic Android functionality. This puts them behind 60% of EU users on Android.
Google will need to allow users to select a preferred assistant and wake it up by voice, as it did with Gemini. Those assistants should be able to navigate within appsfor example, ordering a taxi or offering chat answers. Google has given time until July 2027 to make changes to Android.
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Sharing of search data
The second decision covers the search. Subject to anonymization, Google must share the same data it collects with competing engines and artificial intelligence chatbots to improve its search. According to the EU, the aim is to “rebalance the playing field”. Data exchange begins in January 2027.
The Commission also established safeguards, The Register reported on this. Posts with rare or sensitive details will be suppressed, users will be grouped into batches of at least 1000, and identifiers will be removed. Only audited firms planning to improve search can receive data under independent audits. Google has a say over what they share.
Google objects
Google is disaffected, as it is with most of the EU’s rulings against it. This was announced by Kent Walker, its president for global affairs statement The decisions “risk undermining vital privacy and security protections for millions of Europeans”.
“Europeans’ personal searches would be exposed to unknown companies without adequate anonymization … without user information or consent,” Walker said. He argued that the changes would “undermine citizens’ privacy, put business trade secrets at risk, and endanger national security.”
The commission says its anonymity is strong. Google can also refuse to provide information to any firm that poses serious security risks, it notes.
Part of a wider push
The order is the EU’s latest move against Big Tech under the DMA. Brussels already has He told Meta to remove addictive features and pushed Google open your play store to your competitors. Regulators have covered Android as well selection screens.
If Google fails to comply, the Commission could fine it up to 10% of its global annual turnover. The DMA has also drawn opposition from the Trump administration, which claims it unfairly targets US firms. The Verge noted Google’s got a longer runway than Apple, which has to adapt its Siri AI before it can launch on the block.
