The EU ordered Google to give rival AI assistants what Gemini already had
An assistant that cannot be woken by voice, cannot see the screen and cannot be set as default is not really competing with one that can. The EU has ordered Google to hand over all three.
Binding orders under the Digital Markets Act, adopted 16 July and enforceable immediately, require Android to give third party assistants the same interoperability Gemini has: voice activation, system level screen context, access to core apps including Gmail and Calendar, and the right to be set as default. 11 capabilities in total, reaching users from July 2027 with Android 18, and concurrent hotword detection with Android 19 by August 2028. A separate order requires Google to share anonymised ranking, query, click and view data from Search with rival search and chatbot providers on fair and non discriminatory terms, from January 2027.
Why this one is different
Most AI regulation so far governs what a model may do. This governs who gets to reach a user, which is a distribution question rather than a safety one, and distribution is where assistants are actually won. It also arrives as binding orders concluding a specification process, not as a fine after the fact, which means the remedy is a set of engineering requirements with dates attached.
Most AI regulation governs what a model may do. This governs who gets to reach a user.
How we got here
- 2023The Digital Markets Act comes into force, designating gatekeepers and their core platform services.
- 27 Jan 2026The Commission opens six months of specification proceedings against Google over Android and Search.
- 16 Jul 2026Binding orders adopted, enforceable immediately, covering 11 Android capabilities and Search data sharing.
What it does and does not mean
Nothing reaches a phone for a year, and some of it not for two. Orders can be appealed, implementations can be technically compliant and practically useless, and the Commission has had to reopen remedies before. This is also Europe only, so an assistant's capabilities may soon differ by continent. What has changed is the theory of the case: the assistant layer is being treated as a market that can be foreclosed, and that framing will outlive this particular order.