There's no denying that Android is doing much better than Apple in terms of the Artificial Intelligence ecosystem. This has grabbed the EU's attention and following a specific proceeding launched in January 2026 under the Digital Markets Act, it has issued preliminary findings claiming Google needs to do more for third-party AI developers.
Could the EU Break Google's AI Monopoly?
Google is currently and arguably the leader in the smartphone AI space, and due to that, it's legally required to offer equal access to its key features, according to the EU. However, the commission suggests that, upon looking into it, Google is bottlenecking the competition.
The EU's proposed draft measures focus on forcing Google to open up deep system integration. It especially highlighted the long-press navigation bar shortcut, which currently triggers Gemini or Circle to Search. It allows Gemini to read contextual screen data, which is not equally available to third-party developers.
Furthermore, the EU wants Google to allow competitors to use their own custom wake words like "Hey Google" to promote healthy competition. The commission also targeted the Android AppSearch permission, which grants access to locally stored app data, which is currently only restricted to the phone's default assistant.
Google Sites Privacy Implications, but the EU Insists
Responding to these requests, Google has cited Privacy and Security Risks to these actions. In a statement to Reuters, Alphabet's Senior Competition Counsel argued against these measures and stated:
This unwarranted intervention would strip away that autonomy, mandate access to sensitive hardware and device permissions; unnecessarily driving up costs while undermining critical privacy and security protections for European users
— Clare Kelly, Google
Despite Google's reply, the EU leadership insists on the intervention as necessary to protect market innovation. Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, Teresa Ribera, noted that these measures will give Android users freedom to choose from a vast range of services that compete with Google's AI.
To ensure the proposed measures are effective, the European Commission has opened a public consultation and has invited parties to submit their views by May 13, 2026. The commission will then assess the feedback alongside Google's arguments before adopting a final decision by late July 2026.
This presents a tough challenge for Google, which has indeed made things slightly tougher for the competitors. For starters, among the cons that users and developers face after unlocking bootloader on Pixels disables Gemini Nano.
This is exactly the kind of hardware-level gatekeeping the DMA was built to dismantle. July 2026 could be the first step behind the EU tearing down Google's AI walled garden before it fully manifests and becomes something even larger.
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