EU orders Google to open Android to Gemini rivals. What requirements did the regulator set?

The European Union has required Google to give third-party AI assistants broader access to Android features and to share search data with competing services.

This reports Engadget.

Regulators made the decision over concerns that Google is using the dominant position of its mobile platform to squeeze out competitors.

What the EU requires of Google

The EU says third-party AI assistants have limited access to key Android features compared to Gemini.

According to Engadget, after the changes are implemented, users will be able to choose a default assistant the same way they currently choose a browser. 

The selected assistant will be able to be launched via voice commands and perform various agent actions. Google must open software features (APIs) to competitors by July 2027.

In addition, the company must share information with other search engines and chatbots that are entitled to receive such data.

Google is required to provide partners with the same data that the company collects to optimize its own search. These rules require full anonymization of the information. The data-sharing process must begin by January 2027.

What Google says

Google’s President for Global Affairs, Kent Walker, said the EU decision risks undermining vital privacy and security rules for millions of Europeans.

He said regulators ignored evidence of potential harm to users, and that forced opening of Android would weaken device protections. Walker also added that the requirement to share search data threatens national security.

Apple also spoke in defense of Google. Earlier this year its representatives said similar moves would lead to serious user privacy issues. 

Recall that Google has started showing users whether an ad was created or edited using artificial intelligence. The company will automatically add this label to ads if they were created using generative tools.

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