EU Forces Google to Open 11 Android Functions Under DMA: OpenAI and Rivals to Get Gemini-Level Access
On July 16, the European Commission issued two binding technical specifications under the Digital Markets Act (DMA): Google must open 11 key Android system functions to third-party AI assistants (voice wake-up, cross-app task execution, on par with Gemini) and share anonymized search data with compliant rivals. Changes take effect with the next Android generation from July 2027; Google objects, citing privacy and security risks.
Bottom line
The EU is again pressing Google's 'gatekeeper' position in AI and search: under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the European Commission ordered Google to open 11 key Android system functions to third-party AI assistants, letting rivals like OpenAI compete on par with Google's own Gemini.
Two binding measures
The Commission issued two 'technical specifications':
- Open Android capabilities: Google must let third-party AI assistants call key Android functions—voice wake-up, cross-app task execution—with the same treatment as Gemini. Users could invoke another company's AI assistant via a 'Hey Google'-style voice command to hail a ride or find a place.
- Share search data: Google must open anonymized search data to qualifying search engines and search-capable AI chatbots, with transparent access and pricing.
That's 11 functions total, and Google need only open them to rivals meeting security and privacy standards.
Timeline and context
- The ruling comes ~6 months after the EU opened 'specification proceedings' to help/force Google's DMA compliance.
- Changes take effect in the next Android generation, reaching users from July 2027.
- The DMA is the EU's core law curbing 'gatekeeper' Big Tech, having previously forced Apple and Google to open closed ecosystems.
Google's objection
Google is unhappy. Its lawyer Kent Walker said the decision 'could weaken important privacy and security protections that millions of European users rely on', adding Google had repeatedly offered solutions balancing DMA goals with user safety but the rulings 'ignore extensive evidence of potential user harm'. The EU stresses the measures include strict privacy and device-security safeguards.
Why it matters
- Battle for the AI-assistant entry point: The most valuable part of a phone AI assistant is the system-level entry (voice wake-up, cross-app execution). Whoever holds it controls on-device AI distribution. The EU is using regulation to pry Google's entry open for rivals.
- The search-data moat: Search data is key fuel for training and tuning search/AI. Forcing anonymized sharing hits one of Google's deepest moats.
- Precedent: The EU is often the global bellwether for tech regulation. This case may spur 'antitrust in the AI era' debates elsewhere.
For teams building AI assistants, search, or on-device distribution, the signal is clear: platform-level entry points are being pried open by regulators—a window to bypass the default assistant is opening, even if only by 2027.