On Thursday 16 July, the European Commission adopted two sets of binding specification measures under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), requiring Google to open up 11 features of its operating system Android to its competitors in the field of artificial intelligence so that they can compete more effectively with its own service, Gemini. The Commission is also requiring Google to share its search data with eligible search engine providers as of January 2027.
Under the DMA, designated gatekeepers such as Google Search and Android are required to ensure effective interoperability with Android features and to grant third-party providers access to anonymised search data.
In January 2026, the Commission opened specification proceedings against Google (see EUROPE 13795/7) and presented its preliminary findings in April 2027 (see EUROPE 13850/7).
According to the specifications, a confidential version of which should be published shortly, Google will have to open up 11 Android features, notably those relating to the activation of assistants by voice command. Competing artificial intelligence assistants must also be able to access data stored on the device by applications and interact with the other applications installed on the device and carry out tasks such as sending a message, creating a note, or scheduling a meeting.
This interoperability will extend to certain Google applications, which Alphabet, Google’s parent company, will have to make accessible, including Gmail, Calendar, Maps and YouTube, among others. The company will also have to make any new feature available as soon as it is available for its own services.
Google will have to implement these measures in the next major version of its operating system, Android 18, by 1 August 2027 at the latest. Moreover, concurrent hotword detection, allowing several services to be triggered by the same voice command, will have to be integrated into Android 19 by 1 August 2028 at the latest.
In exceptional circumstances, given the sensitivity of certain features, Google may introduce objective and non-discriminatory eligibility criteria in order to limit access to third parties meeting certain privacy, security, and integrity requirements. Compliance with these criteria by third-party applications will have to be certified by independent bodies.
Google will have to publish, by 1 February 2027 at the latest, a draft of the eligibility conditions for consultation, including with the European Commission. The final conditions will have to be published by 1 May 2027 at the latest, from which date Google will have to accept certification requests. The assessment to determine whether an artificial intelligence service meets the criteria will have to be completed within four weeks of receipt of the request.
Search data to be shared also with AI chatbots. In order to promote more level playing field conditions with Google Search, which has more than 90% of the online search market, Google will have to share the same data that it uses to optimise its own search services, once anonymised, with other online search engines. The data may be used only for the sole purpose of improving their search services. Disclosure to third parties will be prohibited. AI-based conversational agents and AI chatbots offering search functionalities will also be able to benefit from this access.
As a precondition for access to the data, beneficiaries will have to undergo an independent audit certifying that they have adequate safeguards and protection systems in place, and then have annual audits carried out in order to demonstrate their continued compliance.
In its decision, the Commission also specifies the anonymisation method to be applied. In order to reduce the risks of re-identification, according to a senior European source, English-language queries of 65 characters or more, i.e. around 10 words, are deleted. Alphabet will have to remove direct identifiers, such as Google user names and IP addresses, as well as other attributes making it possible to link different queries to the same user. The company will also have to remove search records containing full names, user names, passwords, bank account numbers, or postal addresses in order to ensure that sensitive and confidential information is removed from the text of queries.
Alphabet may exclude undertakings classified as “high risk” under Union law, notably when they are subject to sanctions or controlled by a third country posing serious and structural risks in terms of cybersecurity and/or data protection. The Commission may also grant an exemption from the obligation to share search data with a given undertaking on grounds related to public security.
Google will have to make the data available within seven days of a data-sharing request. The maximum period during which the data may be shared is set at five years, a senior European source said. (Original version in French by Ana Pisonero Hernández)