The European Commission issued two legally binding decisions on Thursday that compel Google to grant rival search engines and artificial intelligence services access to its search data and Android operating system functionalities. From January 2027, Google must begin sharing anonymised search query data with competing search engines and AI-powered chatbots that include search features. By July 2027, the company is required to modify Android so that third-party AI assistants can be set as the default, activated by voice command, and perform background tasks such as booking restaurants through apps, matching the capabilities currently reserved for Google’s own Gemini assistant. The measures, adopted under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), are designed to reduce what Brussels describes as an unfair advantage derived from Google’s control over vast user data and its dominant mobile platform.

Viewed from Brussels, the decisions are a necessary enforcement of the DMA’s interoperability and data-sharing obligations for designated gatekeepers. Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen stated that the rules aim to foster alternatives to Google Search and Gemini, giving EU users greater choice. The Commission argues that non-Google AI agents have been unable to function on Android at the same level as Gemini, and that sharing search data will rebalance a market where no competitor can match Google’s data trove. The EU has also recently forced Apple to add interoperability features and demanded Meta dismantle addictive design elements, signalling a broader regulatory push to open digital markets. In a parallel development, the Commission intervened to restore OpenAI’s ChatGPT on WhatsApp in Europe after Meta had blocked the rival chatbot, a move that underscores Brussels’ willingness to police gatekeeper conduct even in messaging apps.

Google, headquartered in Mountain View, California, has pushed back forcefully. Kent Walker, president of global affairs for Google and Alphabet, warned that the decisions “risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans.” The company contends that opening Android to third-party AI assistants without adequate vetting could expose devices to security risks, and that sharing search data would hand Europeans’ private queries to unfamiliar companies without proper anonymisation or user consent, potentially endangering trade secrets and national security. Google has called for a flexible, evidence-based implementation that assesses costs and benefits case by case. The US administration has previously criticised EU tech regulation as unfairly targeting American firms, though no immediate official reaction was recorded.

For users, the Android changes will mean the ability to choose an alternative AI assistant—such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity—as the system default, activated by a wake word similar to “Hey Google.” The search data sharing is intended to allow rival engines and AI chatbots to improve their results, though the Commission has set criteria for anonymisation and a methodology for calculating the fee Google may charge for access. The decisions are binding but do not constitute a formal infringement finding; however, non-compliance could lead to fines of up to 10 percent of Alphabet’s global annual turnover. The EU is also expected to issue a separate fine against Google next week in an ongoing DMA investigation, according to sources close to the matter. Implementation of the new rules will be phased, with the search data obligation starting in January 2027 and the Android interoperability requirements taking effect in July 2027.