The EU has told Google to open its two most valuable platforms to competitors — and set hard deadlines for compliance.
European regulators handed down two separate decisions Thursday under the Digital Markets Act, requiring Google to give rival AI assistants and search engines greater access to Android and Google Search. Google has until January 2027 to begin sharing search data and until July 2027 to implement Android changes. The rulings follow technical regulatory proceedings that examined how Google's control over both platforms limits what competitors can build or access.
The decisions matter because Android and Search are not just products — they are the distribution layer for nearly everything Google monetizes, including Gemini. Forcing open that layer gives rivals a structural foothold they have never had under the previous, patchwork enforcement regime. For Google, the risk is not just compliance cost but the erosion of the default-placement advantages that have compounded for two decades.
Europe has tried to discipline Google before — three antitrust fines since 2017 topped €8 billion combined — and Google largely absorbed them. The DMA is structured differently, with behavioral remedies rather than just fines, so this time regulators are aiming at the architecture, not the wallet.