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The DMA requires Google to open Android to other AI assistants and to share search data

On July 16, the European Commission issued two specification decisions, binding on Google, under the Digital Markets Act.
July 16, 2026
Curated High

What it says

  • First decision: competing AI assistants will have the same access to system functions on Android as Google's AI services, such as Gemini.
  • Users will be able to activate their preferred assistant by voice, as they do today with “Hey Google,” and delegate actions to it within apps: ordering a taxi, suggesting replies in a chat, or asking about a place they visited. According to the Commission, 60% of EU users have an Android device.
  • Second decision: Google must share with other search engines, in anonymized form, the same data it uses to optimize its own. AI chatbots with search functions can receive it.
  • The decision sets out layered anonymization, aligned with the draft joint guidelines of the Commission and the European Data Protection Board on the DMA and the GDPR, a pricing formula, and an access procedure. Google may first assess whether a recipient poses serious cybersecurity or data protection risks.
  • Deadlines: search data, from January 2027; Android changes, from July 2027.

How it has evolved

Thread: The Digital Markets Act (DMA), in action. European Commission decisions and European rulings that specify the obligations of gatekeepers (Apple, Google, Meta…) under the DMA.

Full press release IP/26/1634 (PDF): ec.europa.eu

The Tech Guardian summarizes and comments in its own words on third-party publications. The full information belongs to the original source, which we recommend you read.

Our take

For those building AI assistants or search engines in Europe, two doors open that until now only Google had: the phone and search data. For those who use them in business, it means more choice on Android from 2027. If your product depends on mobile distribution, start preparing the integration before next summer.

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