EU Forces Google to Open Android and Share Search Data. Google Is Not Pleased.
The European Commission has finalised a set of binding measures under the Digital Markets Act that will compel Google to open up Android to rival AI assistants and hand over search data to competing search engines. Google, predictably, hates it.
The two rulings target different parts of Google's business but share a common thread: the Commission thinks Google has been using its platform dominance to quietly suffocate competition, and it wants that stopped.
On Android, the issue is straightforward. Gemini comes pre-loaded on Google-certified handsets, responds to the 'Hey Google' wake word, and enjoys deep system-level access including screen reading, app control, and automation hooks. Third-party AI assistants get none of that by default. The Commission's position is that roughly 60% of EU users carry Android devices, and they should be able to install an alternative AI assistant without it being a lobotomised version of what Gemini can do.
From July 2027, Google will have to allow competing AI tools the same depth of integration currently reserved for Gemini. Whether that meaningfully shifts user behaviour is another question entirely. Most people will probably stick with whatever comes pre-installed, but at least regulators can say they tried.
The search data ruling is potentially more consequential. Google will be required to share search data with rival search engines transparently and at a reasonable fee. The Commission is also insisting Google treat AI chatbots as search services for the purposes of this data sharing, which reflects the reality that products like Perplexity or ChatGPT's search mode are increasingly eating into traditional query volume. EU regulators believe smaller players cannot realistically close the quality gap with Google without access to comparable signals about how people search and what they click on. Google's voluntary data-sharing offers to date have apparently not satisfied that bar. The deadline for compliance here is January 2027.
Google's response has been about as warm as you'd expect. Kent Walker, the company's president of global affairs, accused the Commission of ignoring more proportionate solutions Google had proposed, and warned the decisions risk undermining 'vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans.' He raised concerns about AI assistants gaining deeper Android access without proper vetting, and suggested the search data requirements could expose user data, trade secrets, and somehow national security.
The privacy argument deserves some scrutiny. Google is not wrong that handing system-level access to less established AI platforms creates new risks. Any AI assistant with deep device integration is, by definition, hoovering up a lot about how you use your phone. But Google making that case while Gemini sits quietly doing exactly that is a bit rich.
On the search data side, the Commission says it has built in anonymisation requirements and is open to refining the approach to ensure personal data is properly handled. Google acknowledges this flexibility exists, but is framing the whole thing as a threat regardless.
The company now has until the respective deadlines to work out the technical specifics with regulators. Given Google's track record of dragging its feet on DMA compliance, expect that process to be neither quick nor painless.