EU Orders Google to Give Rival AI Apps the Same Android Access as Gemini

Key Points:

• The European Commission has ordered Google to provide third-party AI services with the same access to Android device features as its Gemini AI, in compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) which mandates equal interoperability for software makers.
• Unlike Apple, which delayed launching Siri AI in the EU due to regulatory disagreements, Google launched Gemini integration on Android first and is now working to meet DMA requirements, giving European users full Gemini access.
• Google must enable AI apps to access 11 key device features, including voice activation, cross-app task completion, contextual access to sensors, and sufficient hardware/software resources, with most changes required by August 1, 2027.
• The European Commission gave Google a full year to implement these changes before any legal appeals, reflecting similar demands previously made to Apple regarding AI interoperability under the DMA.
• Apple refused to engage with EU regulators on solutions that would meet privacy and security standards for Siri AI interoperability, seeking exemptions that the Commission rejected, citing Apple's inability to develop compliant interoperability solutions.