EU Gives Rival AI Assistants System-Level Android Access Google Reserved for Gemini

My take: The European Commission published a binding decision under the Digital Markets Act: Google must open 11 key Android features to third-party AI assistants, the same ones that today are available only to Gemini. That includes responding to voice commands similar to "Hey Google," performing actions inside apps, and suggesting replies in chats. The deadline for full implementation is Android 18, with a hard limit of August 1, 2027.

There is a second part equally significant: starting January 2027, Google must also share its search data with rival search engines and AI chatbots on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms (FRAND). That could significantly change who can build competitive search and AI tools, because today that data advantage belongs exclusively to Google.

For professionals and creators who use multiple AI tools, this opens the possibility of choosing our preferred assistant on Android with the same capabilities Gemini already has. Google publicly rejected the decision, but under the DMA it is binding.

Which AI assistant would you want with full access on your Android device when these rules take effect?