Apple criticises EU AI access rules

Apple on May 13 joined Google in attacking draft European Union measures that would require parts of Android to work more openly with rival artificial intelligence services. The intervention came in a filing to the European Commission, which is using the Digital Markets Act to spell out how Alphabet must give third-party AI providers access to key Android capabilities. Apple said the proposal would expose users to privacy, security and safety risks and could weaken device integrity and performance. The Commission says the measures are needed to give users more choice over which AI services they use on Android devices. ### Which EU process is Apple objecting to? The European Commission said on April 27 that it had sent Alphabet preliminary findings in specification proceedings opened on January 27, 2026 under Article 6(7) of the Digital Markets Act. The consultation asked third parties to comment on draft measures for interoperability between Android and AI services, with submissions due by May 13 at 23:59 CEST. (money.usnews.com) Article 6(7) requires gatekeepers to provide interoperability with and access to software and hardware features of designated operating systems, the Commission’s consultation page says. In this case, Brussels is focused on Android features relevant to AI services, including wake-word invocation, access to context from apps, the ability to execute tasks on a user’s behalf, and access to hardware and software resources needed for reliable performance. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) ### What would Google have to open up on Android? The Commission said the proposed measures are meant to ensure that competing AI services can interact with applications on Android devices and carry out tasks such as sending an email, ordering food or sharing a photo. It also said the rules are intended to let users choose AI services that best meet their needs “without sacrificing functionality.” (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) The consultation page lists four main themes, including invocation features such as custom wake words, app interaction to understand user context and execute tasks, and access to the resources needed for responsiveness. Those details show the dispute is not about chatbot placement alone but about system-level access inside Android. That is an inference from the Commission’s published list of targeted capabilities. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) ### What exactly did Apple say? Apple said in its submission that the draft measures “raise urgent and serious concerns” and, if confirmed, would create “profound risks for user privacy, security, and safety as well as device integrity and performance.” Apple added that the risks were “especially acute” for rapidly evolving AI systems whose “capabilities, behaviours, and threat vectors remain unpredictable.” (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) In the same filing, Apple said the Commission was effectively “redesigning an OS” and replacing engineering judgments with its own after “less than three months of work.” Apple also questioned the regulator’s technical expertise and objectivity, according to the text of the submission reported by Reuters. (money.usnews.com) ### Why is Apple weighing in on a Google case? Apple told the Commission it had a strong interest in the case because it runs its own operating systems for iPhones, iPads and Mac computers. Reuters reported that Apple framed the Android proceeding as relevant beyond Google because it could shape how platform operators are required to handle third-party AI access across ecosystems. (money.usnews.com) Google had already criticised the proposal, saying rival AI services would be able to interact with Android apps to send emails, order food or share photos in ways that could undermine privacy and security safeguards for European users. Apple’s filing aligned it publicly with Google on that point even though both companies are separately subject to EU competition rules. (money.usnews.com) ### What has the Commission said in response? Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s executive vice-president for clean, just and competitive transition, said on April 27 that AI services are becoming more relevant to how EU citizens use mobile devices and that it is “critical to protect innovation by AI companies of all sizes.” Henna Virkkunen, the executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said the measures would open Android devices to a wider range of AI services while preserving user choice. (money.usnews.com) The Commission’s public materials do not adopt Apple’s account of the risks. Instead, they present the draft measures as a way to secure “meaningful interoperability” for alternative AI service providers under the DMA. ### What happens next in Brussels? (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) The Commission’s consultation closed on May 13, 2026, after inviting comments from companies, citizens and organisations with first-hand experience of AI services on Android devices. The proceeding is listed under case reference DMA.100220 on the Commission’s Digital Markets Act consultation page, where the non-confidential summary and annex of draft measures are available. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu)