The European Commission just told Google to stop giving its own artificial intelligence assistant special treatment on smartphones. Regulators declared that the company must give competing software the same system permissions currently used by Gemini. This order falls under the Digital Markets Act, forcing the tech giant to open up deep phone controls that were previously kept strictly for its own exclusive tools. This ruling will massively change how European users interact with their devices.
The commission demands equal access to core operating system features
Under this new rule, third-party AI programs will no longer sit on the sidelines as standard apps. They will get the same deep system control as the default assistant. The European Union laid out a strict set of requirements that the company must build into the software by August 2027.
Don’t miss the best of The Mac Observer
Set us as a preferred source and our Apple reporting ranks higher in your Google Search results and Discover feed — one tap, no account changes.
Here is what the European Union requires from the company:
- Give rival apps access to voice commands and physical activation buttons even when the screen is turned off.
- Allow outside assistants to complete actions across different apps and run long tasks in the background.
- Let third-party tools see context from the screen, apps, and device sensors to guess what users need next.
- Share enough hardware resources and local models so competing tools can process tasks quickly on the phone.
By pushing these requirements, regulators hope to give smartphone owners real choices. The goal is to make third-party tools function exactly like the built-in option, rather than feeling like limited add-ons.
The company claims the ruling threatens basic device security safeguards
While the rules aim to create fair competition, the search giant strongly disagrees with this approach. Representatives for the company stated that giving outside programs such deep permissions removes vital security protections for millions of users. It argues that letting third-party developers control the screen and read background information creates huge privacy risks.
This is actually the exact same regulatory pressure Apple faced earlier this year. The iPhone maker chose to delay its new smart features entirely in the European Union, arguing that these open access rules would break its security standards. Instead of holding back, the Android maker released Gemini first and is now fighting the legal battle after the fact.
If the company fails to make these changes safely within the timeline, it could face massive fines. This ruling sets up a tough challenge. The platform must now open its doors to competitors without exposing personal data to bad actors, marking a major turning point in how mobile operating systems handle safety.
Discussion