Brussels forces Google to open Android and Search to AI rivals
The EU has ordered Google to open Android and Search to rival AI assistants and engines under the Digital Markets Act, a ruling that could reshape Gemini and India's own antitrust fight.
The News
The European Union has ordered Google to loosen its grip on two of the most heavily used pieces of digital infrastructure, telling the company it must give rival AI assistants and search engines far greater access to Android and Google Search. The instruction came in a pair of decisions issued on Thursday under the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), the competition rulebook built to rein in the largest technology gatekeepers.
Regulators want challengers to be able to plug into parts of the Android operating system and Google Search that have until now been tightly controlled by Google itself. For companies trying to build alternative assistants and search tools, that access is the difference between operating on the margins and reaching users directly on the devices they already own.
The two decisions could carry far-reaching consequences for Google, weakening its command over Android and Search while shaping the future of its Gemini assistant and opening fresh ground for competitors to gain a foothold.
Why It Matters
This is the latest and arguably most consequential front in Brussels' long campaign against Google's platform power. The bloc has been here before. In July 2018 it fined Google 4.34 billion euros over Android, arguing the company used the operating system to entrench its own search engine. A year earlier, in 2017, it imposed a 2.42 billion euro penalty in the Google Shopping case. Those were punishments for past conduct. The DMA is different in spirit. It is forward-looking, dictating how Google must behave rather than simply penalising what it has already done.
The timing matters too. The order lands as the assistant wars migrate from browsers into operating systems, where whoever controls default placement controls the funnel. Forcing interoperability on Android could let rival assistants reach users without first asking Google for a seat, and that is precisely why this ruling reaches well beyond search and into the economics of the AI race.
Indian Angle
For India, this is familiar territory. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) travelled a strikingly similar road in October 2022, fining Google 1,337.76 crore rupees for abusing its dominant position through Android and ordering the company to unbundle its apps and permit alternatives. That template closely mirrors what Brussels is now demanding. A separate 936.44 crore rupee penalty followed over Play Store billing practices.
Indian regulators and homegrown developers will watch the EU move closely because it strengthens the intellectual case for interoperability that the CCI has already been pursuing. A more open Android globally would also give Indian AI builders, from Sarvam to Krutrim, a cleaner path to distribution across the hundreds of millions of Android handsets that dominate the country's smartphone market.
There is a commercial dimension as well. India is one of Android's largest user bases on the planet, and any structural change to how assistants and search reach those devices carries outsized consequences here. For Indian startups long boxed out of default placement, a rulebook that treats access as a right rather than a favour is a meaningful shift.
FAQ
What did the EU actually order Google to do?
The bloc issued two decisions requiring Google to give rival AI assistants and search engines greater access to parts of Android and Google Search, under the Digital Markets Act obligations that apply to designated gatekeepers.
How is this different from earlier EU fines?
Past cases, such as the 2018 Android fine, punished Google for previous conduct. The DMA is forward-looking, setting rules for how Google must operate rather than only penalising it after the fact.
Does India have a comparable case?
Yes. The CCI fined Google 1,337.76 crore rupees in 2022 over Android and ordered similar unbundling, which makes the EU decision directly relevant to India's own regulatory push.
What does it mean for Indian AI startups?
Greater interoperability could give firms such as Sarvam and Krutrim a clearer route to reach users on Android devices without depending on Google's default placement.
Where can I read the original announcement?
Full coverage is available from The Verge, linked in the attribution below.
This story was reported by The Verge. Read the full original coverage at The Verge.