EU orders Google to open Android AI access and share search data
The European Commission set binding DMA measures requiring Google to give rivals more Android AI access and search data in the EU.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
The European Commission has ordered Google to make two major changes in the European Union: give rival AI assistants deeper access to Android and share more search data with competing search services. The measures matter because regulators say Google’s control of mobile software and search data limits competition across markets used by millions of Europeans.
The Commission said the decisions are legally binding under the Digital Markets Act, the EU competition law that has applied to large online platforms since 2024. Google is designated as a “gatekeeper” under the law, which means it must follow specific rules aimed at keeping digital markets open to rivals.
The Android order targets the way AI assistants work on Google-certified phones. According to the Commission, Google’s Gemini has advantages because it comes preloaded on those devices and can use Android features such as voice activation through the “Hey Google” command, system and app automation, and access to screen content.
The Commission said third-party AI assistants face limits that make their services less appealing to Android users in the EU. It said about 60% of EU users have an Android device, and that users should be able to choose another AI assistant without losing core capabilities.
EU regulators said the Android measures were designed to protect privacy and device integrity while expanding choice. Google disputes that assessment, arguing that broader access for non-Google AI tools could weaken safeguards that help protect users.
Search data sharing will expand
The Commission also ordered Google to provide search data to rival search providers. Regulators said Google’s previous offers to share data did not go far enough to give competitors a fair chance against the company’s search business.
Under the new requirements, Google must offer data transparently and at a reasonable fee, according to the Commission. The order also treats AI chatbots as search services for purposes of data sharing, meaning they can fall within the same access framework.
The Commission said smaller search providers need access to metrics similar to those Google uses in order to compete. It also said Google must anonymize the shared data using multiple layers of protection, and the Commission left open the possibility of changing the decision to address handling of identifiable data.
Google warns of privacy risks
Google opposed the measures before they were finalized. Kent Walker, Google’s president of global affairs, said in a company statement that Google had proposed narrower approaches it believed would meet the DMA’s aims.
“Today’s decisions risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans,” Walker said.
Walker said phone makers already help review AI tools and that deeper Android integration for rival assistants could bypass existing protections. He also argued that the search-data order could put user privacy, trade secrets and national security at risk, even though Google acknowledged regulators are open to refining parts of the framework.
Google will have time to work through implementation details with EU officials. The company must be ready to begin sharing search data with other companies in January 2027, and it must update Android to allow deeper integration for AI apps by July 2027.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.