EU Orders Google to Open Android AI Access and Share Search Data

The European Commission has issued binding instructions requiring Google to give rival AI assistants access to key Android features and to share anonymised Search data with competing search services and eligible AI chatbots.

The two decisions, adopted on 16 July under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), do not impose an immediate fine. Instead, they set out the technical and commercial terms Google must follow to comply with existing obligations for Android and Google Search.

One decision, Case DMA.100220, covers Android interoperability for AI services under Article 6(7) of the DMA. The other, Case DMA.100209, concerns Google Search data sharing under Article 6(11).

Rival assistants are due deeper Android access

The Android decision covers 11 features that the Commission considers essential for an AI assistant to compete on equal terms with Google’s Gemini. These include ways to invoke an assistant, gather context from apps, sensors and the screen, carry out actions across apps and the operating system, and access relevant hardware and software resources.

In practical terms, the measures require Google to offer rival assistants the same access to Android capabilities that Gemini receives. The Commission’s description includes wake-word activation, a home-button long-press gesture, screen-reading capability and on-device data flows used to understand a person’s context and act across apps.

That could allow a user to trigger a preferred assistant with a voice command similar to “Hey Google”, according to the Commission. It could also enable an assistant to complete tasks such as booking a taxi, suggesting replies in a chat app or answering a question about a recently visited place.

The Commission said third-party assistants currently have restricted access to important Android functions, making them less able to offer services comparable with Google’s own AI tools. It said this affects a significant audience, as 60% of EU users have an Android device.

“Our decision will help smaller competitors, search engines, or AI assistants, to compete and provide that choice, while protecting the user's privacy.”

Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, made that argument as the decisions were announced.

Google has strongly criticised the Android ruling. Kent Walker, Google’s President of Global Affairs, said the decision could weaken protections intended to keep devices secure.

“Today's decisions risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans. We have repeatedly offered solutions to safeguard users while satisfying the DMA's goals, but these rulings discount extensive evidence of user harm. The reality is that AI assistants already safely access Android's capabilities, with phone makers playing a key role in vetting them. This Android ruling threatens device security by granting external apps sensitive and powerful device permissions without these safeguards.”

Google Search signals will be shared

The second decision requires Google to make anonymised Search data available to rivals on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. The dataset includes query, click, ranking and view signals — information Google uses to refine its own results.

The Commission said Google Search has held a market share of more than 90% in Europe for decades, giving it a volume of user data that competitors cannot readily match. Its view is that access to this information can help rebalance competition in search.

The specification explicitly extends eligibility to AI chatbot providers that perform a function equivalent to search. However, recipients may use the data to improve search only; they cannot use it to train general-purpose AI models.

The Commission said the shared information will be protected by a multi-layered anonymisation method developed with privacy experts and aligned with draft joint guidelines from the Commission and the European Data Protection Board. Google will also be able to assess whether an applicant presents serious cybersecurity or data-protection risks before granting access.

Eligible recipients will be subject to independent verification, including a comprehensive audit by independent, qualified practitioners. The measures also establish a formula for calculating the price of the data, although specific pricing has not been confirmed.

Deadlines run into 2028

Google must submit an eligibility application form to the Commission and publish a webpage explaining beneficiaries’ rights by the end of August 2026. Template licence agreements and test data samples are due by September.

By January 2027, Google must finalise its pricing offer and communicate it to the Commission and third-party online search engines. That is also when the Search data-sharing arrangement is due to begin.

Most of the required Android AI features must be implemented in Android 18 by 1 August 2027. Concurrent hotword detection has a later deadline: 1 August 2028, in Android 19. If Google introduces new functions within the covered Android features, it must make them available to third parties at the same time they reach Google’s own AI services.

The DMA has applied to Google’s designated services since 7 March 2024. Alphabet was designated as a gatekeeper for services including Android and Google Search on 5 September 2023. The new decisions follow roughly two years of discussions that did not produce remedies the Commission considered workable.

There is no automatic financial penalty attached to these specification measures. But if the Commission concludes Google has not complied, it can open a separate non-compliance case carrying penalties of up to 10% of the company’s annual worldwide revenue.

“Thanks to these measures we hope to see emerging alternatives to Google Search and Google's AI services, such as Gemini, and that users in the EU can enjoy greater choice of services. All developers, large and small, are welcome to explore these new opportunities, which will certainly benefit users too.”

Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said the aim is to create room for alternatives. The next test is whether those alternatives can turn newly mandated access into AI assistants and search services people genuinely choose to use.