EU orders Google to open Android, share search data by 2027

Brussels forced Alphabet to give rival AI assistants equal Android access and share search data, the DMA's most aggressive enforcement yet.

The European Commission on Thursday ordered Google to open 11 Android system features to rival AI assistants and share anonymized search data with competitors, the most sweeping interoperability mandate under the Digital Markets Act since the law took effect in March 2024.

"With today's measures, we want to support innovation and diversity in the European Union, enabling fair competition in the markets of AI assistant for Android devices and search engines," Henna Virkkunen, executive vice president at the European Commission overseeing tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said.

The two binding technical specifications require Google to let third-party AI assistants — including ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity — activate via voice commands, run background tasks such as booking restaurants through third-party apps, and access the same system-level Android functions as Google's Gemini. By January 2027, Google must begin sharing anonymized search data with eligible rival search engines and AI chatbots that function as search tools, under a transparent pricing mechanism the company must establish. Android interoperability features will roll out to users from July 2027.

The rulings threaten Google's dual moats in mobile operating systems and internet search, where it controls more than 90 percent of the global search market. For Alphabet, the measures could erode advertising revenue tied to search exclusivity and force costly compliance infrastructure changes. For rivals such as Microsoft's Bing, Perplexity and OpenAI, access to Google's search data and Android ecosystem represents a potential competitive windfall — though Google warned the requirements could backfire.

Privacy vs. Competition

Kent Walker, president of global affairs at Google and its parent company Alphabet, said the rules could weaken user privacy by exposing search data to unfamiliar companies without adequate anonymization. "Europeans' private searches would be exposed to unfamiliar companies, without adequate anonymization of the data and without user knowledge or consent," Walker said. "This would weaken citizens' privacy, risk business trade secrets, and endanger national security."

The commission said it will impose limits on how search data can be used and allow Google to vet which services receive deeper Android access to ensure safety and security. The last time the EU imposed a major interoperability remedy on a gatekeeper was the 2004 Microsoft antitrust case, which required the company to share protocol information with rivals — a precedent that opened the door to Linux-based server competition but took years to produce measurable market-share shifts.

A Precedent for Apple and Meta

The Google rulings may signal how Brussels will handle similar DMA compliance questions involving other tech giants. Apple has already declined to release its Siri AI in Europe, explicitly blaming the DMA's interoperability requirements for compromising user safety. Meta has been ordered to dismantle "key addictive features" including infinite scrolling on its platforms. The commission's approach suggests a pattern: gatekeepers that control both a platform and an AI layer on top of it face the most aggressive remedies.

The DMA, enacted in 2022, designated Google as a gatekeeper in September 2023. The EU's previous antitrust action against Google — a record €4.34 billion fine in 2018 for Android antitrust violations — did not materially alter Google's market share in mobile operating systems. The interoperability mandate, by contrast, forces structural changes rather than financial penalties.

Forward Outlook

Google must comply with the data-sharing requirement by January 2027 and the Android interoperability rules by July 2027, giving the company roughly 12 months to build the technical infrastructure. The commission said all developers, large and small, are welcome to explore the new opportunities.

For Alphabet investors, the regulatory overhang adds uncertainty to a business where Google Search generated $49.4 billion in advertising revenue in the first quarter of 2026, according to Alphabet's most recent earnings report. The data-sharing mandate could allow rivals to improve their search algorithms using Google's query data, potentially eroding Google's advertising pricing power over time. The Android interoperability rules, meanwhile, threaten Google's ability to bundle Gemini as the default AI assistant on more than 3 billion active Android devices worldwide. U.S. President Donald Trump has previously criticized EU tech regulation, raising the possibility of transatlantic trade friction as the compliance deadlines approach.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.