Key Takeaways
July 17, 2026 · 4 min read · By Rishabh Bhardwaj
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AI-assisted, human-reviewed · Our editorial standards
The European Commission has issued binding rules requiring Google to share anonymised search data with rival search engines and AI chatbots, and to open 11 Android features to competing AI assistants. The decisions, adopted on July 16, 2026, implement obligations under the EU's European Commission's Digital Markets Act and set specific deadlines: search data sharing must begin in January 2027, and expanded Android access for rival AI assistants must reach users by July 2027.
The rules target two separate advantages the Commission says Google holds over competitors. First, Google's own Gemini assistant has broader access to Android system functions than third-party AI tools. Second, Google Search generates a volume of query data that smaller search engines and AI services cannot replicate independently. The Commission argues that both gaps make it structurally hard for rivals to compete, regardless of the quality of their own technology.
On the Android side, users must be able to activate a third-party AI assistant through voice commands in the same way they currently invoke Google's own assistant. Rival assistants must also be allowed to perform cross-app tasks: booking taxis, suggesting replies in messaging apps, and surfacing information about places a user has visited. The Commission said these capabilities are currently available to Gemini but not to competitors.
On the search data side, Google must provide anonymised query data to eligible search engines and AI chatbots that include a search function. The data must cover the same information Google uses internally to improve its own search results. The Commission said Google's earlier voluntary data-sharing offer was not working effectively, so the new rules specify which companies qualify, how anonymisation must be applied, how access is granted, and what Google may charge for it. Google retains the right to withhold access if it can demonstrate a serious cybersecurity or data-protection risk for a specific recipient. The Commission may revisit the anonymisation standards later, including after an independent review.
Companies seeking Android access must meet privacy, cybersecurity, and device-security conditions before receiving it. These safeguards were included to address concerns that opening system-level functions could expose Android users to new risks.
Around 60% of EU users rely on Android devices, according to the Commission. That scale means restrictions on Android interoperability have a direct effect on how many people can practically use a rival AI assistant. If a third-party tool cannot respond to a voice wake word or complete tasks across apps, it is functionally weaker than Gemini for most users, regardless of its underlying capability.
Search data is the other bottleneck. Training and improving a search or AI product requires large, representative datasets of real queries. Smaller and privacy-focused search services lack the user base to generate comparable data on their own. Access to anonymised Google Search data could meaningfully accelerate their ability to improve results and attract users away from Google Search.
For AI developers in particular, the Android access rules open a path to deeper device integration that was previously unavailable. The ability to book services, manage messages, and interact with installed apps transforms an AI assistant from a standalone chatbot into a system-level tool. That is exactly the kind of integration that has given Gemini an edge on Android phones.
Google pushed back sharply. Kent Walker, Google's lawyer, said the decisions "risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans" and that the company had offered alternatives. Earlier in the process, Google's senior competition counsel Clare Kelly argued that forcing the company to hand sensitive search data to third parties posed serious privacy risks for users who trust Google with health, family, and financial queries. The Commission's position is that the final rules include sufficient safeguards and that its mandate under the DMA requires it to enforce effective access.
The proceedings that led to these decisions were opened on January 27, 2026, and are classification as "specification proceedings," a distinct legal track under the DMA used to clarify how an obligation must be implemented rather than to investigate or fine a company for a breach. The decisions became binding on July 16 and remain so unless a court suspends or overturns them. Google has not announced whether it will seek judicial review, but its public statements suggest a legal challenge is possible.
For the wider tech sector, the decisions signal that the Commission is moving from broad DMA obligations to detailed operational mandates. The specification tool allows regulators to prescribe exactly how a gatekeeper must behave, not just that it must comply. Other DMA-designated gatekeepers, including Apple and Meta, are watching how far the Commission is willing to push into product architecture decisions.
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