EU to Force Google Open Android to ChatGPT and Claude under Digital Markets Act
The European Commission is preparing to tell Google exactly how it must open Android to rival AI assistants, escalating a regulatory confrontation that will determine the future of artificial intelligence on mobile platforms. According to Bloomberg, the draft findings are part of specification proceedings opened under the Digital Markets Act in January and they arrive at a critical moment as Google finalizes Gemini’s takeover of the Android assistant experience for over two billion devices worldwide.
Interoperability and Data Sharing Obligations
The Commission opened two parallel specification proceedings on January 27, 2026:
- Interoperability (Article 6(7)): Google must provide third-party AI developers with "free and effective interoperability" to the Android hardware and software features used by Gemini.
- Data Sharing (Article 6(11)): Google must share anonymized search ranking, query, click, and view data with rival search engines and AI chatbot providers on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms.
On April 16, the Commission published preliminary findings in a 29-page specification document detailing data sharing requirements, pricing, and auditing rules. A public consultation runs until May 1, after which final binding decisions are expected by July 27, 2026.
Quote from EU Official
Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, stated in January: "We want to maximise the potential and the benefits of this profound technological shift by making sure the playing field is open and fair, not tilted in favor of the largest few."
Implications of "Equally Effective Access"
The interoperability question is crucial. It means ensuring that competitors like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude have access to the same Android features enjoyed by Google’s Gemini, including:
- Voice activation
- System-level search integration
- Interoperability with other Android software