The EU swings its anti-monopoly blade again, forcing Google to open up Android and Search access to competing AI assistants

Tech giants’ “walled garden” faces fierce backlash again! According to tech media The Verge, on today (16) the European Union officially required Google to open up deep access to its Android operating system and its search engine (Google Search), so that competing AI assistants and search engines can enjoy the same system-level access rights as Gemini, in order to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The decision could significantly weaken Google’s control over key platforms.
（Background recap: The U.S. launches a probe into Samsung memory patent infringement; Nvidia, Google, and Broadcom are also among the defendants）
（Additional context: Buffett admits a mistake—failing to buy Google early was a big error; to date, “more likely to be the winner”）

Table of contents

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• Break Gemini’s exclusivity; Android ushers in an all-out AI assistant battle
• Open the Search database; Google strongly protests privacy risks
• EU officials: Hope to see alternatives beyond Gemini

EU regulators fire another round of heavy artillery at the closed ecosystems of global tech giants. On July 16, 2026 (Taipei time), the EU officially released two technical regulatory decisions targeting Google. Their core purpose is to force Google to adjust its operating approach so it can comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is intended to constrain “gatekeeper” platforms and promote fair competition in the market.

Break Gemini’s exclusivity; Android ushers in an all-out AI assistant battle

For the Android portion, the EU put forward a requirement with far-reaching impact: Google must give AI assistants from competitors such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity the exact same system functionality and data access permissions as its own “child” product, Gemini. This means that future Android systems will gain deeper interoperability.

Under the new rules, it will be up to the “users,” not Google, to decide whether to allow these third-party AI tools to access phone data and hardware. This will unlock many privileges that were previously exclusive to Google—for example: deep interaction with other applications (apps), voice wake-up instructions similar to “Hey Google,” and full utilization of the phone’s hardware resources. More importantly, future Android users will be allowed to choose setting other third-party AI assistants as system-level “default assistants,” completely breaking Gemini’s monopoly position.

Open the Search database; Google strongly protests privacy risks

In addition to the operating system, Google’s business at the start—its search engine (Google Search)—is also not spared. The EU requires that competing search engines and AI chatbots be allowed to access the massive search data that was previously exclusive to Google. The EU specifically notes that AI chatbots are also considered, in a broad sense, search engines, and therefore enjoy equivalent rights.

This data-sharing measure mirrors the remedies in a recent U.S. search antitrust case that required Google to share key data. In response, Google expressed strong opposition, issuing a stern warning that these requirements would seriously endanger users’ privacy and information security, and would also harm the competitiveness of its own products. However, the EU quickly reassured that it will set strict data-use limitations and allow Google to review which services can obtain deep access permissions to ensure the overall ecosystem remains safe.

EU officials: Hope to see alternatives beyond Gemini

Regarding this regulatory crackdown, Henna Virkkunen, the Executive Vice President of the European Commission, said publicly: “Through today’s measures, we hope to support innovation and diversity in the EU, enabling fair competition in the market for AI assistants and search engines on Android devices. We expect to see alternatives to services such as Google Search and Gemini emerge, giving EU users more choice. Both large and small developers are welcome to explore these new opportunities, which will benefit users.”

Overall, these two major decisions will undoubtedly significantly weaken Google’s absolute control over two key platforms: Android and Search. As the DMA continues to reshape Big Tech’s ecosystem map, this move will have extremely far-reaching impacts on Google’s business model, Gemini’s future trajectory, and the competitive landscape across the entire AI industry.