Apple warns EU against Google access rule

Apple said on May 13 that draft European Commission measures for Google’s Android would create “profound risks” for privacy, security, safety, device integrity and performance, putting the iPhone maker on the same side as Google in a live EU regulatory fight. (money.usnews.com) The immediate issue is not Apple’s own platform. It is a Digital Markets Act proceeding focused on Google Android. The Commission said on April 27 that its draft measures would require Google to give third parties “effective access and interoperability” with key Android capabilities so competing AI services can work across apps and carry out tasks such as sending emails, ordering food or sharing photos. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) The Commission’s position is that Google now keeps much of that functionality for its own AI products. Its April 27 notice said the measures are meant to let rival AI services be activated more easily, including through a custom wake word, and to offer Android users in the European Union a wider choice of AI services alongside Gemini. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) Apple entered the case through the public consultation process. Reuters reported that Apple’s filing answered the Commission’s request for feedback on the draft measures and argued that the proposal goes beyond setting competition rules and into redesigning an operating system. In the filing quoted by Reuters, Apple said the risks are “especially acute” because AI systems are evolving quickly and their behavior and threat vectors remain unpredictable. (money.usnews.com) That matters because Apple has spent years arguing against forced interoperability when EU regulators target its own products. In this case, however, the company is intervening in a proceeding against Google and making an argument that mirrors Google’s: deeper access for third-party AI assistants could weaken existing privacy and security protections for users. Reuters said Google had already argued that the proposal would let competing AI services interact with Android apps in ways that could undermine key safeguards for European users. (money.usnews.com) The legal frame is Article 6(7) of the Digital Markets Act. The Commission opened the specification proceeding on January 27, 2026, saying it wanted to assist Google in complying with obligations to provide third-party developers with free and effective interoperability with hardware and software features controlled by Android. Those proceedings formalize the Commission’s regulatory dialogue with Google over how those obligations should work in practice. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) The timing is also specific. The Commission said interested parties had until May 13, 2026, to comment on the draft Android measures. Because the specification proceedings opened on January 27, the process is due to conclude within six months of that start date, putting the deadline in late July 2026. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) What to watch next is the Commission’s final decision on the Android interoperability measures. That ruling will determine how much access Google must give rival AI services on Android and whether the EU accepts the privacy and security objections raised by Google and now by Apple. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu)