The European Commission has issued two sets of legally binding specification measures to Google under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The directives are designed to strip away barriers for competitors, focusing specifically on breaking Google’s monopoly over Android artificial intelligence integration and its massive repository of search data.
The first measure tackles Google’s dominance in the mobile ecosystem, where Android devices represent roughly 60% of the European market. Currently, third-party AI assistants have highly restricted access to key operating system functionalities. The EU’s new order ensures that competing AI services can operate on an equal footing with Google’s Gemini. Users will soon be able to activate their preferred alternative assistant using native voice commands and delegate complex, in-app tasks like booking rides, receiving smart reply suggestions in chat apps, or inquiring about recently visited locations.
The second directive targets the long-entrenched search engine market. Under this measure, Google is required to share its vast, high-volume search data with competing search engines and AI chatbots. This data is crucial for alternative engines to optimize their services and build competitive, privacy-focused alternatives. To address privacy and commercial concerns, the decision outlines a multi-layered anonymization method developed alongside EU data protection experts. It also establishes a fair pricing formula for the data while giving Google the authority to block access if a third party poses verified cybersecurity or data protection risks.
These proceedings fall under the DMA’s ex-ante regulatory powers, which aim to prevent digital “gatekeepers” from unfairly tilting markets in their favor. Because this is a specification proceeding rather than a formal non-compliance investigation, the European Commission is not issuing immediate fines. Instead, it is providing a mandatory roadmap for compliance.
Google is legally bound to implement the changes according to a strict regulatory timeline. The tech giant must begin sharing its anonymized search data with eligible competitors starting in January 2027. European consumers will begin seeing the sweeping interoperability changes to the Android operating system shortly after, in July 2027.