The European Commission issued two binding Digital Markets Act decisions for Google on July 16, 2026, setting out how the company must open parts of Android and Google Search to competitors.
The first decision targets Android. Brussels says rival AI assistants currently have limited access to core Android functions, while Google's own AI services can use deeper system features. The Commission says the new measures should let users choose a preferred assistant, activate it by voice and let it perform tasks inside apps.
The second decision covers Google Search data. The Commission says competing search engines, including AI chatbots with search features, should be able to receive anonymized data that Google uses to improve its own search products.
What changed
This is not a fine. It is a pair of technical compliance instructions under the EU's Digital Markets Act, the law aimed at large online "gatekeeper" platforms. The Commission said the goal is to give European users a broader range of search and AI options, not just a choice screen that leaves rivals with weaker access.
For Android, that means rival assistants could eventually do more than answer a question after an app is opened. They could be invoked by voice and handle actions such as booking a taxi, suggesting replies in chat apps or responding to questions about places a user recently visited, according to the Commission's examples.
For search, the practical change is data access. The EU says Google must share data under an anonymization process and a transparent access system, while retaining the ability to assess whether a specific third party creates serious cybersecurity or data-protection risks.
Why it matters
The decision lands as AI assistants are becoming a new front door to phones, apps and web search. If rival assistants cannot reach the same Android functions as Gemini, they may be less useful even if their underlying models are competitive. If search rivals cannot learn from data collected at Google scale, they may struggle to improve results fast enough to challenge Google Search.
The impact will be most direct in Europe, but the decision will be watched globally because it gives regulators a concrete model for applying platform rules to AI assistants and search data. It could also shape how AI companies, search startups and phone makers design products for the EU market.
The caveat
Google objected in a July 16 statement by Kent Walker, its president of global affairs, saying the decisions risk weakening privacy and security safeguards for Europeans. Google said private searches could be exposed to unfamiliar companies without adequate anonymization and warned about business secrets and national security.
The Commission says its approach includes privacy, device-integrity and security safeguards. It also says the anonymization method was developed with privacy experts and can be adjusted if future market or independent evaluations show changes are needed.
What to watch next
The next test is implementation. Independent coverage from The Next Web reported that search-data sharing is set to begin in January 2027, while Android AI interoperability changes are due by July 2027. Between now and then, watch for Google's technical proposals, eligible search and AI companies applying for access, and any legal challenge over whether the DMA can require this level of interoperability.
