Ryan Whitham, writing for Ars Technica back in April:
European regulators are proposing several broad changes to the way
AI tools operate on Android phones. Some of this is
straightforward, like allowing third-party AI tools to be invoked
system-wide via hot words or button presses. This might also
include allowing AI tools to view screen context when the user
opens them. Context also extends to allowing alternative AI
systems to access local data to generate proactive suggestions and
summaries. The report actually describes something that sounds
like Google’s Magic Cue, which relies on Gemini to offer
suggestions based on your activity.Google has also started experimenting with allowing AI to control
certain apps. As we saw when this feature debuted on the Galaxy
S26, Gemini is currently pretty bad at using apps on your behalf.
The commission wants to explore allowing other AI services to
autonomously control installed apps and system features on Android
phones. Maybe someone else could do better?
Maybe! But also maybe it’s a bad idea for complex system architecture design to come from non-technical government bureaucrats. One of these maybes strikes me as a lot more likely than the other.
Many of the Gemini AI features in Android, including Magic Cue,
rely on running local models, and Google has been slow to allow
third parties the system access to make that work effectively. So
the EU is also suggesting a mandate that would ensure developers
have the necessary hardware access to run local models “with high
levels of performance, availability and responsiveness.”
What could go wrong?
Finally, Google may be required under the DMA to create new APIs
and offer technical assistance to other AI makers who want to plug
into Android. The commission also specifies that these tools must
be made available free of charge.
Of course, it’s not free of charge to provide technical assistance to one’s competitors. It’s actually a great expense.
Here’s the European Commission, announcing these “preliminary findings”:
The proposed measures aim to ensure that competing AI services can
effectively interact with applications on users’ Android devices
and execute tasks accordingly, such as sending an email using the
user’s preferred email app, ordering food or sharing a photo with
friends. Currently, Google largely reserves these capabilities for
use by its own AI offerings on Android phones and tablets. For
example, the measures would allow competing AI services to be
easily activated by users, using a custom ‘wake word’, a phrase
that the user can speak to activate an AI service.The proposed measures will also enable competing providers of AI
services to innovate and offer deeply integrated AI experiences to
users on Android phones and tablets, along with Alphabet’s own AI
services, such as Gemini. Opening up access to these capabilities
will provide Android users across the EU with a wider choice of AI
services.
The difference between Google and Apple on this front is that Google just blazed ahead and shipped Gemini integrated into Android in the EU, and is now facing compliance problems after shipping. (Ask forgiveness.) Apple isn’t shipping Siri AI in the EU in iOS 27, knowing that it’s going to be deemed non-compliant. (Ask permission.)
The EC presumes that these measures “will also enable competing providers of AI services to innovate and offer deeply integrated AI experiences to users on Android phones and tablets”. Again: maybe! But really all they can enforce is that “competing providers of AI services” will have the same level of system-level integration that Google’s AI services have. The easiest way to achieve that is by withdrawing Gemini integration from the EU, not by building APIs and privacy protection mechanisms to enable third-party providers what the EC is demanding.
Google is learning the lesson Apple learned the hard way with all the existing features of iOS that were deemed not compliant with the DMA when it went into effect. The “ship it first and ask forgiveness / hope it’s deemed compliant” strategy is not a good one in the EU.
