The European Commission has issued preliminary findings to Google in specification proceedings under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), proposing measures that would require the company to open key Android functionalities to competing AI service providers.
The draft measures are designed to ensure that third-party AI assistants can interoperate effectively with Android and access device capabilities currently reserved largely for Google’s own AI services. According to the Commission, this would allow rival AI providers to perform integrated tasks on Android devices such as sending emails through users’ preferred apps, ordering food, sharing photos, and carrying out other assistant-driven functions.
A central part of the proposal would also permit competing AI services to implement their own custom “wake words,” enabling users to activate alternative AI assistants by voice in a manner comparable to Google’s own offerings.
The Commission argues that the measures are necessary to prevent Google from leveraging its control over Android to favour its own AI ecosystem, including Gemini, at a time when AI services are becoming increasingly central to how users interact with mobile devices. Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera said the initiative is intended to protect innovation by AI companies of all sizes and expand user choice in the growing market for AI-powered mobile services.
The Commission has launched a public consultation on the proposed measures, with interested parties invited to submit comments by 13 May 2026. It will review feedback from market participants and Google before adopting a final decision, which must be issued within six months of the opening of the proceedings.
The Android interoperability case forms part of a broader DMA implementation effort against Google. It follows separate specification proceedings launched in January 2026 and a consultation opened earlier this month concerning Google Search’s obligations to share search data with third parties.
The case may prove for the development of DMA enforcement in AI markets. By targeting access to Android’s deep integration layers, the Commission is seeking to ensure that mobile operating systems do not become gatekeeper-controlled bottlenecks for AI services. If adopted, the measures could materially improve the ability of rival AI providers to compete with Google on Android devices and establish an important precedent for how the DMA applies to platform control over emerging AI ecosystems.
