The European Commission has issued two binding sets of measures ordering Google to open up parts of Android to rival AI assistants and to share certain Google Search data with other search services under the EU’s Digital Markets Act.
One set of measures covers “interoperability” — a requirement for large platforms to let other services work properly with their systems — on Android devices, the Commission informed on Thursday.
It said rival AI assistants on Android currently have restricted access to key functions of the operating system compared with Google’s own AI services, such as Gemini.
Under the decision, users will be able to activate their preferred AI assistant using voice commands in a similar way to “Hey Google”, according to the Commission.
It added that third-party assistants will also be able to carry out actions in apps on a user’s behalf, such as booking a taxi, suggesting replies in chat apps, or answering questions about a recently visited place.
The measures include safeguards intended to protect user privacy, device integrity and security.
Google Search data sharing
The second set of measures specifies how Google should share search data with other search engines, with the Commission saying this data is important for developing and improving rival search services.
The EU executive noted that the decision clarifies areas where Google’s offer to share search data has been ineffective so far, including making AI chatbots that offer search functions eligible to receive shared data.
It also said Google should share — subject to anonymisation — the same data it collects to optimise its own search services, and set out a “multi-layered” method to anonymise shared data developed with internal and external privacy experts.
Google will be allowed to assess whether sharing data with a particular third party poses serious cyber security and data protection risks before any data is provided.
Google must begin sharing search data with eligible search engine providers from January 2027, while users are due to start seeing the Android changes from July 2027.
The measures were adopted under the Digital Markets Act, an EU law that regulates “gatekeepers” — large digital platforms deemed to hold a powerful position between businesses and consumers — and the decisions remain subject to judicial scrutiny.
