The EU just told Google to share the keys to Android's AI kingdom.
The European Commission formally ordered Google to grant third-party AI services the same Android access Gemini enjoys — voice activation, cross-app actions, background tasks, device sensors, and on-device AI models among them. Google has until August 1, 2027 to implement most changes, and that clock starts before any legal appeals. Unlike Apple, which negotiated with regulators before launching its AI features in Europe, Google shipped Gemini integration first and left compliance for later.
The contrast with Apple's situation is instructive but not equivalent. Apple proposed a Trusted System Agent as a privacy-preserving path to interoperability and was rejected; the EC said Apple failed to develop solutions meeting EU privacy and security standards and had sought a blanket exemption instead. Google's objections are less developed — the company said the requirements "risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans" and pledged to "continue advocating for a balanced approach," without detailing what alternative, if any, it has in mind.
The practical difference matters: Apple's Siri AI is blocked from the EU entirely when iOS 27 ships, while Android users in Europe are already using Gemini during the compliance window Google bought by launching first. Whether that was a calculated bet or just corporate impatience, it worked — for now.
A one-year runway sounds generous until you factor in appeals, technical complexity, and the likelihood that whatever Google builds will face fresh scrutiny the moment the EC reviews it.