Brussels has focused on Android and the integration of artificial intelligence on mobile devices, and has sent a clear message to Google: the operating system can no longer reserve its most advanced features almost exclusively for Gemini, its own AI assistant. The European Commission believes that, as it is currently designed, the Android ecosystem It limits competition and reduces the real options available to users within the European Union.
In some preliminary conclusions Within the framework of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the European Commission is proposing a series of obligations to ensure that third-party AI services can be deeply integrated with Google tools on equal terms. This is not simply about installing another app, but about having access to the same level of system functionality, from voice activation to interaction with other applications and access to key device resources.
Brussels wants an Android that is truly open to third-party AI
The Commission's starting point is that Android, as it works today, significantly favors Gemini and other Google services compared to rival assistants such as ChatGPT, Copilot, or European models like Mistral. Regulators suspect the company has reserved a "fast track" for its AI through special system permissions, privileged APIs, and exclusive integrations unavailable to others.
Therefore, Brussels argues that any competing artificial intelligence service can interact with apps of the device with the same depth as Google's AI. The idea is that an alternative assistant can perform everyday tasks such as sending emails from the user's preferred app, managing the calendar, ordering food delivery, or sharing photos with friends, without being limited by technical barriers.
Today, if a user in Europe uses an assistant other than Gemini on their Android phone, that system does not have the same level of accessIt has more problems with voice activation, cannot be integrated as effectively with other applications on the device, and cannot perform certain system functions. For the Commission, this difference in treatment has a direct impact on competition, because it makes alternatives seem less useful even if they may be technically on par.
The European regulator also wants users to be able to activate third-party assistants using custom “trigger words”just like Google Assistant is done now. The intention is to eliminate friction in the use of rival solutions and for any AI to be able to offer a voice-activated experience as seamless as Gemini's.
Furthermore, the proposal underscores the need for artificial intelligence providers to have effective access to device hardware and software Android: microphones, cameras, sensors, processing resources and system permissions that today would be, according to Brussels, much more within the reach of Google's tools than of its competitors.
Obligations under the Digital Markets Act
This entire package of measures is based on the Digital Markets Law (DMA)The European regulations aim to curb the power of major digital "gatekeepers," such as Google, Meta, Apple, and Amazon. Specifically regarding Android and AI, the Commission opened two formal proceedings at the end of January 2026 to examine whether Google is using its dominant position in mobile to give Gemini preferential treatment over its rivals.
The core of the investigation revolves around whether the company is granting its own assistant system permissions and APIs that are not offered on equal terms to other services, as well as privileged access to data generated by searches and device usage. Brussels wants to prevent a de facto monopoly from being established before the market matures, with AI becoming the new core layer of mobile devices.
Among the obligations being considered, the one called mandatory interoperabilityGoogle will need to allow third-party AI providers to connect to key Android features with the same level of access as Gemini. This isn't just a symbolic gesture; it's about ensuring that third-party developers can use the same technical capabilities to create deeply integrated AI experiences on phones and tablets.
In parallel, and within the same regulatory framework, the Commission has also proposed measures to prevent rival search engines, including services with chatbots and AI-powered search capabilitiesThey can access certain anonymized data from Google Search. The goal is for this data to be used to train artificial intelligence models and improve their results, thus creating more credible alternatives to the leading search engine.
The proposals come after a long history of tensions between Brussels and GoogleIn the last decade, the company has already received multimillion-dollar fines for anticompetitive practices, such as favoring its price comparison sites or forcing the installation of its apps on Android devices. The difference this time is that the European Union is trying to anticipate the closure of the mobile AI market, rather than intervening after the damage has already been done.
Impact on Google users and rivals in Europe
For EU citizens, the change Brussels is pursuing is significant: if the measures go ahead as proposed, An Android phone in Spain or any other European country could work very differently Regarding AI, the user would have more freedom to choose which assistant they want to use by default and how deeply it is integrated into the system.
The Commission insists that the intention is that every person can Configure your phone with the AI service that best fits your needs and valueswithout being forced to choose Gemini due to a lack of practical options. Regulators speak of “deeply integrated” AI experiences for both Google and third-party tools, which on paper should translate into more diversity and less dependence on a single vendor.
The biggest potential beneficiaries would be the rival AI assistants such as ChatGPT or CopilotThis also benefits European models and specialized startups that, until now, have found it more difficult to offer services equally integrated with the operating system. Being able to use the same APIs, permissions, and resources as Gemini opens the door to more competitive solutions and innovative proposals that are not relegated to simple, isolated applications.
They would also benefit alternative search engines with a focus on privacy or in specific niches, which could use anonymized query data and click patterns to improve their AI algorithms. All of this, according to Brussels, should translate in the medium term into a more diverse European digital ecosystem with less dependence on a single tech giant.
From an industrial policy perspective, the European Union views this opening as a Opportunity for AI companies of all sizesEspecially European companies, which could compete on similar technical terms to Google. The Commission emphasizes that AI innovation should not remain in the hands of a few US multinationals, but rather be distributed among a broader network of companies.
Google's response: security, privacy, and costs
Google, for its part, has shown clear disagreement with the line taken by the Commission. The company maintains that Android is already an open ecosystemIn this system, device manufacturers have leeway to choose which services to integrate and how. According to their account, there is no total blockage to competition, but rather a necessary balance between openness and system integrity.
Among the arguments most frequently repeated by the company is that of security and privacy of European usersGoogle executives and advisors have described Brussels' intervention as "unjustified" and warned that allowing multiple third-party AI systems to access critical device functions could increase the risks of vulnerabilities, data leaks, or misuse of sensitive information.
The company adds that excessively opening up access to hardware, software, and certain system permissions This could unnecessarily increase costs associated with maintaining a secure and stable platform. From this perspective, the fragmentation of AI integrations and the proliferation of actors with deep access to the system would complicate user protection and the prevention of malicious use.
Google has also expressed concern about the demands regarding share data related to searcheseven when the information is aggregated or anonymized. The company maintains that this data includes particularly sensitive inquiries about health, finances, and personal life, and fears that exposing it to third parties could erode user trust in its services.
Nevertheless, the Commission maintains that the Interoperability is essential to unlocking the full potential of AI in the mobile environment. Brussels points out that protecting competition is as important an objective as technical security, and that it is possible to design an access framework that minimizes risks without effectively shielding the ecosystem around a single provider.
Calendar, public consultation and possible sanctions
The process is still in a preliminary phase, but with clear deadlinesThe Commission has opened a public consultation for Google, other technology companies, and other stakeholders to submit their comments on the proposed measures. The deadline for submitting comments regarding Android and the integration of AI extends, in several cases, until May 13, 2026.
From there, the European Commission will evaluate all the contributions and will be able to adjust or refine the obligations before adopting a final decision. The timetable set by the Commission itself indicates that the final resolution must be published within a maximum of six months from the opening of the proceedings, which places the deadline around the end of July 2026.
The decision adopted by Brussels will determine whether Google is complying with the obligations imposed on it by the DMA in the field of mobile artificial intelligence or whether, on the contrary, It must undertake additional changes in Android to ensure more open access to its functions. Should the Commission conclude that there is insufficient compliance, it could initiate infringement proceedings under the Digital Markets Act itself.
The potential economic consequences are not minor: any Serious non-compliance with the DMA may result in fines of up to 10% of global annual turnover from the affected company. In the case of a giant like Google, we're talking about multi-million dollar figures that would be added to the historic sanctions already imposed by the European Union in other areas.
At the same time, the Android and Gemini case adds to other recent regulatory pressures in Europe, such as the instructions regarding give more access to rival search engines or comparisons with similar open cases against other large technology companies, for example Meta and the Integration of AI chatbots into WhatsAppThe underlying message is that the EU wants to prevent a repeat of the pattern of closed markets and dominant, difficult-to-challenge positions in the new wave of artificial intelligence.
Given this context, Android's openness to AI competition has become a key issue in European digital policy: what is decided in Brussels will determine how, in practice, the smart assistants and AI services on the mobile phones of millions of Europeans in the coming years, and whether users will truly have the ability to choose between different options or will remain, in practice, tied to the Google ecosystem.
