The European Union has ordered Google to let rival AI assistants on Android phones have the same capabilities as Google's own Gemini assistant, and to share Google Search data with competing search engines and AI services. European Commission Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen announced the decisions on July 16, 2026 (The Verge).

The first decision requires Google to let other companies' AI assistants do things that only Gemini can currently do on Android phones: talk to other apps, respond to voice commands like "Hey Google," and use phone hardware such as the microphone and camera. Right now, rival assistants work like regular apps with limited access. This decision, officially docketed as DMA.100220, would give them the same deep access that Google's own assistant enjoys. A case summary published April 27, 2026 confirmed the Commission's plan to set these requirements.

The second decision, DMA.100209, is about Google Search data. Google must share data with competitors — including what people click on, what they search for, and how Google decides which results to show first. Importantly, the EU considers AI chatbots like ChatGPT to be functioning like search engines in some cases, so they are included in this data-sharing requirement (The Verge). The Commission has said there will be limits on how the shared data can be used.

Google will keep a safety role under this framework. The company can review which services receive deeper access to Android to make sure security is not compromised (The Verge).

These decisions do not involve a fine. Instead, they require Google to change how it operates so its services comply with EU rules. The measures were developed through extensive discussions between the company and regulators (The Verge). The Commission will adopt final decisions in both cases by July 27, 2026.

The Commission has been working toward these decisions through the first half of 2026. A factsheet published May 11, 2026 explained how the EU's rules are delivering new ways for smartphones to be more open, framing the Google measures as part of a broader effort to open up platforms controlled by large companies the EU calls "gatekeepers."

Think of it this way: if you buy an Android phone, Google's own AI assistant is like a resident with a key to every room in the house. Rival assistants are like visitors who can only sit in the living room. The EU's first decision says Google has to give other assistants their own keys, so they can do the same things Gemini does.

There is a catch, though. Google gets to decide who is safe enough to receive a key, which means it acts as a gatekeeper over its own competitors. The Commission will presumably keep a close eye on this arrangement.

The search data decision goes further in some ways. By saying that AI chatbots can function like search engines, the EU has expanded who gets to receive Google's data beyond traditional search rivals. The information about what people click and how results are ranked is the raw material that makes any search or AI system good at giving relevant answers. Sharing it lowers one of the biggest barriers for new companies trying to compete with Google.

The usage limits will matter a lot. Shared data could help competitors train better AI models or build better search systems, but the exact rules about what they can and cannot do with it will determine whether this genuinely opens up the market. Those specifics will come in the final decisions due July 27, 2026.

Taken together, the two decisions target the two strongest positions Google holds in the AI and search world: being the default assistant on the most widely used mobile operating system in Europe, and owning the search data that powers its results. The EU's rules were written to address exactly this kind of advantage. Whether rival assistants and AI services can actually benefit from these changes depends on details that will only become clear once the final decisions are adopted.