For years, Gemini has had the run of Android like a kid with a house key while ChatGPT and Claude waited politely on the porch, downloadable but never truly welcome. The European Commission just changed the locks.
Gatekeeper, Meet Your New Homework
Under the Digital Markets Act, Brussels adopted binding orders on July 16, 2026 requiring Alphabet to open roughly a dozen core Android features to rival AI assistants, alongside a separate order to share search data with competitors. The interoperability push falls under DMA Article 6(7), which mandates "free and effective interoperability" for gatekeeper platforms — Article 6(11) handles the search data sharing side.
Right now, Gemini enjoys system-level privileges no third-party assistant gets: invoke it by holding the power button or saying "Hey Google," let it read your screen, and let it reach into other apps and system functions. Under the order, rivals like ChatGPT and Claude are meant to get equivalent access — voice activation, screen-reading, default-assistant status, and integration with native apps like Gmail and Calendar.
Two Deadlines, One Very Annoyed Google
The compliance clock has two dates that matter: January 2027 for the search data sharing, and August 1, 2027 for Android AI access, timed to land with the next major Android release. Google, unsurprisingly, isn't thrilled — it argues Android is "open by design" already, and warns that deeper AI access for third parties could compromise user privacy, security, and innovation, noting that rival assistants are already just a Play Store download away.
The distinction Google is glossing over is the one that actually matters: an app you download versus an OS feature baked into the power button are not remotely the same level of access. Regulators clearly agree, which is why "just download the app" wasn't enough to close the case.
By mid-2027, European Android users could pick Claude or ChatGPT as their default system assistant — assuming Google's lawyers don't find a new porch to make them wait on.
If this has you rethinking your own infrastructure, we build and harden sites for a living — say hello.
Source: TNW