Brussels has moved to broaden competition in mobile AI and search by issuing new, legally binding measures under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that require Google to open deeper access to Android and to share search data with rival providers. The European Commission says the steps are needed to curb Google’s dominant position and give other companies a fairer chance to build competitive services; Google argues the mandates risk undermining user privacy, security, and business confidentiality.
What the Commission ordered
The Commission’s specification measures target two core parts of Google’s business: the Android platform and Google Search. Regulators concluded that Google, as a DMA-designated gatekeeper, grants its own AI assistant privileged system access that third-party assistants cannot match. According to the Commission, those restrictions make alternative assistants less attractive for the majority of EU Android users.
On Android, the measures require Google to allow competing AI platforms to integrate more deeply with the operating system. That includes parity on features now enjoyed by Google’s Gemini assistant, which is preloaded on certified Android devices and can respond to the “Hey Google” hot word and access system and app automation, screen content, and other capabilities. The Commission framed this change as ensuring users can install an AI assistant of their choosing without losing useful device features.
For search, the DMA mandate requires Google to provide other search firms transparent access to search data on fair terms and for a reasonable fee. The Commission said Google’s prior offers of data sharing had fallen short and that making search metrics available is essential for smaller competitors to challenge Google’s long-standing lead. The ruling also treats AI chatbots as search services for the purposes of data sharing, widening the scope of who can request access.
Google’s objections
Google pushed back strongly against the Commission’s final decision. Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, said the company had proposed more measured approaches during the regulatory process but that the EU’s choices go too far. “Today’s decisions risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans,” Walker said, framing the measures as a potential threat to user protections.
Google specifically objected to requirements that would permit third-party AI assistants deeper integration with Android, arguing device makers and Google’s certification processes already play a major role in vetting AI tools. The company warned that allowing other assistants equivalent system access could sidestep safeguards built into the certification and distribution chain.
On the search side, Google also warned that the mandated data sharing could expose user information and sensitive commercial data. The Commission has said anonymization will use a multilayered approach and signaled willingness to refine handling of identifiable data to address privacy concerns, but Google continued to characterize the measures as risks to privacy, trade secrets, and national security.
Deadlines and next steps
The decision sets concrete timelines for compliance. Google must be prepared to begin sharing search data with other companies by January 2027. For Android, the platform must be updated to permit deeper integration of non‑Google AI apps by July 2027. As a gatekeeper under the DMA, Google is required to follow the legally binding specification measures, although the company and regulators will work on technical details and safeguards before the deadlines.
Regulators said these timelines allow industry and authorities to negotiate implementation details—particularly around privacy and data anonymization—while ensuring swift action to open markets designated as concentrated and closed by DMA criteria.
Implications for users and competitors
If implemented as described, the measures could lower barriers for alternative AI assistants to offer comparable experiences to Google’s Gemini on Android devices, potentially expanding consumer choice. For search competitors and AI chatbots, access to Google’s search metrics could reduce the data advantage Google has long enjoyed, giving smaller providers the signals they need to improve relevance and ranking without having built Google’s indexing infrastructure.
However, the benefits hinge on technical and legal implementation. Data anonymization, limits on what system features can be opened, and whether device makers also impose controls will shape real-world outcomes. Google’s warnings about privacy and security will likely figure prominently in follow-up negotiations and potential legal challenges, even though the DMA measures themselves are binding.
What to watch
Key developments to monitor include the technical specifications Google and the Commission agree on for opening Android interfaces, the details of the anonymization techniques applied to shared search metrics, and whether other providers move quickly to take advantage of the new access. The January and July 2027 deadlines create a defined window for change, and the coming months will determine how disruptive the new rules prove both for Google and for firms seeking to build competing AI and search services in Europe.
For now, Brussels has signaled that the DMA’s enforcement powers are real and that regulators are willing to use them to reshape how major platforms operate in the EU market.