EU tells Google open Android

The European Commission told Google on April 27 to open key Android features to rival artificial intelligence assistants under the Digital Markets Act. (ec.europa.eu) In draft measures sent to Google, the Commission said third-party AI services need “effective access and interoperability” with Android capabilities that Google now largely keeps for its own tools. (ec.europa.eu) Brussels gave concrete examples: a rival assistant should be able to send an email in the user’s chosen mail app, order food, or share a photo with friends from an Android device. (ec.europa.eu) The Commission also said competing assistants should be easy for users to activate, including through a custom wake word spoken aloud to the phone. (ec.europa.eu) This is not a fresh antitrust case from scratch. It is the next step in a specification proceeding the Commission opened on January 27, 2026, to spell out how Google must comply with Article 6(7) of the Digital Markets Act. (ec.europa.eu 1) (ec.europa.eu 2) That January proceeding focused on Android features used by Google’s own AI services, including Gemini, and the Commission said it wanted third-party providers to have “equally effective access” to the same features. (ec.europa.eu) Google pushed back, calling the proposal an “unwarranted intervention” and arguing that broader access could threaten privacy, security and the ability to customize Android. (arstechnica.com) The Commission has opened a public consultation on the draft measures, and interested parties have until May 13, 2026, to respond. (ec.europa.eu) Under the January timetable, the Commission said it would conclude the proceeding within six months of opening it, which points to a decision by late July 2026. (ec.europa.eu) If Brussels adopts the measures, the fight over mobile AI in Europe will turn less on which assistant has the best model and more on which one gets the default slot, the wake word and the system hooks inside Android. (ec.europa.eu) (arstechnica.com)