Rival AI assistants could soon gain full access to Android features

The ongoing control war between Big Tech and European regulators has reached a boiling point. In a move that could reshape how we use our phones, the European Commission has issued strict new guidance to Google under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), demanding that the company open up Android to third-party AI assistants and share data from its crown jewel, Google Search. The decision is framed as a push for fair competition, but Google has immediately fired back (again), warning that forcing its hand could lead to a privacy and security catastrophe for millions of European users.

According to the European Commission’s official press release, the new mandates are designed to foster innovation and break Google’s monopoly over mobile AI and search. By forcing Google to ensure full AI interoperability on Android and share anonymized search click and query data with rivals, the EU hopes to give alternative services (and competing AI models) a fighting chance.

The European Commission notes that, currently, competing AI assistants on Android phones have limited access to key functionalities. Without this access, alternative AI assistants cannot compete on equal terms with Google’s own AI services, which have full access. Third-party AI assistants are therefore limited in what they can offer Android users, making them less attractive to the 60% of EU users who use Android devices.

Specifically for Android, today’s decision by the European Commission will ensure that users can activate their preferred AI assistant via voice commands, similar to the “Hey Google” wake word trigger. Users will also be able to use third-party AI assistants to perform actions in apps on their behalf. The Commission also notes that the measures incorporate “robust safeguards to ensure that the privacy of users, device integrity, and security are protected.”

However, Google argues through its blog post that these requirements completely discount the realities of user safety. The company claims to have “repeatedly” offered solutions to safeguard users while satisfying the DMA’s goals, but the Commission’s rulings discount extensive evidence of user harm. The tech giant warns that granting external apps deep, unrestricted access to Android’s system-level permissions bypasses critical hardware-level security guardrails that device manufacturers usually vet.

Furthermore, Google claims that sharing search data with unfamiliar companies puts user privacy, trade secrets, and even national security at risk.

As the regulatory chess match continues to play out, European Android users may soon find themselves caught in the middle of a fractured ecosystem, forced to choose between the EU’s vision of an open market and Google’s established security wall.