EU Mandates Google's AI Interoperability with Android Competitors

The European Commission has ordered Google to open up 11 Android AI features to its competitors. The move is part of the Digital Markets Act, which aims to promote competition in the digital market. Google must make these features available by August 1, 2027, and provide concurrent hotword detection for multiple AI services by August 1, 2028.

The affected features include voice invocation, contextual data, actions across apps and the operating system, and access to hardware and software resources. Competing services will be able to offer voice activation, live translation, speech-to-text, app actions, and proactive suggestions, subject to user consent.

Additionally, Google must share anonymized Google Search data with eligible third-party search engines and AI chatbots that offer search functionality. This measure requires pricing rules, security checks, and anonymization requirements.

About 60% of European mobile users have Android devices. The decision follows proceedings opened in January under the Digital Markets Act. A separate Court of Justice of the European Union judgment on July 2 upheld a €4.125 billion antitrust fine against Google over Android preinstallation and anti-fragmentation practices.