The European Commission adopted binding requirements under the Digital Markets Act ordering Google to open Android to rival AI assistants and share search data with competing AI developers, in the most consequential AI regulatory action this year.
The first order forces Google to give third-party AI assistants access to 11 Android feature groups, including voice activation, cross-app capabilities, and system-level integration. Users will be able to set a rival assistant as their default and wake it with a voice command starting July 2027. The second order requires Google to share anonymized ranking, query, click, and view data with eligible third-party search engines and AI chatbots from January 2027.
Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera said the decision aims to keep the digital transformation fair and give citizens real choice. “Our decision will help smaller competitors, search engines, or AI assistants, to compete and provide that choice, while protecting the user’s privacy,” she said.
The orders target the two structural advantages that make Google nearly unbeatable: default placement on billions of Android devices and two decades of search behavior data that no competitor can replicate. The timing lands as Google’s Gemini 3.5 Pro reportedly missed its launch target for the third time.
Google must implement the Android changes by July 2027. The specification proceedings carry no fines, but separate non-compliance investigations could follow if Google fails to comply.
