The EU just forced Google's hand on yet another Android feature

The European Commission has formally ordered Google to open up Android's AI hooks to rival apps, not just Gemini. Rivals will now need the same system-level access Gemini has on phones like the Pixel 10 Pro, under the EU's Digital Markets Act. Apple faced this same fight months ago, and Google is taking a very different route.

What the EU is telling Google to do

The European Commission announced the order on July 16, requiring Google to give rival AI apps the same deep Android integration Gemini currently gets. Under it, Google has to let rival AI services:

• Answer to voice triggers like "Hey Google" or a phone's activation button
• Complete tasks in and across other apps, including background ones
• Pull context from apps and sensors to offer proactive help
• Tap the same hardware and on-device AI models Gemini uses

Two very different EU playbooks

Apple already lost this exact fight. When the EU asked for the same access to Siri AI, Apple called it a security risk it wasn't willing to take, and ended up pulling Siri AI from Europe entirely instead.

Google is going the opposite way. It now has roughly a year, until August 2027, to actually build the access out, though it's made clear it isn't happy, calling the requirements a threat to privacy and security.

For iPhone owners, none of this changes anything, since Apple's fight with the EU is a separate case with a different outcome so far.

What actually changes for you

Not much changes right away for Android users in the EU. Google has until August 1, 2027 to roll most of this out, so Gemini keeps its head start for a while yet.



Once it lands, apps like ChatGPT or Perplexity should trigger the same way Gemini does, jumping between apps to finish tasks and tapping into your phone's context the way Gemini already can. It's Google being told to stop giving its own AI a shortcut nobody else gets.

Why Google's approach doesn't surprise me

None of this feels like a stretch for Google. It already built Gemini's Android access in the open and dealt with regulators after the fact, so extending that access to competitors is just the next step, not a reversal.

Apple's route looks far more painful by comparison. Pulling a headline feature out of an entire region isn't a great look, and I wouldn't be surprised if more companies start building first and negotiating later, the way Google did here.

I'd rather see it play out this way, even if the extra year of waiting is a little annoying for anyone hoping to ditch Gemini sooner.

Six-month unlimited plan is now 57% off

$90

$210

$120 off (57%)

Mint Mobile is now allowing you to get whichever plan you like for either three, six, or 12 months for just $15/mo. If you go for the six-month unlimited service, for instance, you'll now have to pay just $90 upfront instead of $210.

Buy at Mint Mobile