EU orders Google to open Android to rival AI and share search data

The European Commission has ordered Google to grant rival artificial intelligence assistants full access to Android’s core features and to share the search data it uses to train its own algorithms. The mandates, issued on Thursday under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), dictate exactly how the tech giant must dismantle competitive advantages in two critical markets.

Currently, non-Google AI tools face restricted access on Android, limiting their reach among the 60% of EU smartphone users who rely on the operating system. By July 2027, Google must allow users to select and wake rival assistants by voice, just as they do with Gemini. It must also permit those tools to execute tasks inside third-party apps, such as booking taxis or drafting chat replies.

Separately, Google must begin sharing its search data with competing search engines and AI chatbots by January 2027. To address privacy concerns, the Commission requires anonymising the data, suppressing rare or sensitive details, and grouping users into clusters of at least 1,000. Only vetted companies with concrete plans to improve search products can access the information, subject to independent audits, though Google retains some discretion over what is shared.

Google has sharply criticised the measures. Kent Walker, the company's president of global affairs, warned that the decisions “risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans.” He argued that “Europeans’ private searches would be exposed to unfamiliar companies, without adequate anonymisation… without user knowledge or consent,” and that the rules would “weaken citizens’ privacy, risk business trade secrets, and endanger national security.”

The Commission countered that its anonymisation standards are robust and noted Google can refuse data to any firm posing serious security risks. For the broader market, the intervention signals Brussels’ determination to ensure the AI sector does not simply become a closed shop for incumbents. By forcing Google to hand over the proprietary data that powers its search engine, regulators are attempting to lower the immense barriers to entry for smaller competitors.

Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s tech chief, said the goal is to see “emerging alternatives to Google Search and Google’s AI services, such as Gemini.” The rulings are the latest in a series of DMA enforcements targeting Big Tech, following actions against Meta’s addictive features and Google’s app store. Non-compliance carries fines of up to 10% of global annual turnover, and the regulatory pressure continues to draw political friction, with the Trump administration arguing the DMA unfairly targets American firms.