Janne Yli-Korhonen
28 Apr 2026 12:39
The European Commission has issued its preliminary findings from an investigation launched in January 2026, concerning Google's activities in relation to the Android operating system and AI services.
The findings, based on the Digital Markets Act (DMA), suggest that Google must open up Android's key functionalities and interfaces to competing AI services to ensure fair competition and service interoperability.
Currently, Google reserves many deep-level capabilities of Android devices primarily for its own AI products, such as Gemini.
The actions planned by the EU would force Google to allow competing AIs to perform tasks directly within other applications on the phone.
For example, a user could ask their preferred AI to send an email using their favorite app, order food, or share photos with friends, without Google's own services acting as a bottleneck.
One of the most visible changes for consumers would concern the activation of AI services.
The Commission demands that users must be able to easily activate competing AI services using their own wake words.
In practice, this would mean that alongside or instead of the traditional "Hey Google" command, the phone could directly respond to the proprietary invocation phrases of other AIs, which would facilitate the use of non-Google services as part of the device's core functionalities.
Henna Virkkunen, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for technological sovereignty, emphasizes that interoperability is key to harnessing the full potential of AI technologies.
According to Virkkunen, these measures will open up Android devices to a wider range of AI services, giving users the freedom to choose the services that best suit their needs and values without compromising device functionality.
Commission Vice-President Teresa Ribera also stated that AI services are an increasingly important part of citizens' daily lives, which is why protecting innovation is critical.
The preliminary findings now published are part of a broader regulatory package aimed at breaking the gatekeeper position of technology giants.
Google has previously faced similar investigations, including regarding the sharing of search data. The Commission has opened a public consultation on the matter, which is ongoing until May 13, 2026. After this, the Commission will evaluate the feedback received and make a final, binding decision on potential changes to Android's operations within six months of the start of the procedure.