European Commission Sets Android AI And Search Data Measures For Google

The European Commission has set new Digital Markets Act measures for Google that cover Android AI interoperability and anonymised Google Search data access, putting two parts of Alphabet’s platform under a dated compliance timetable.

The Register's account said the specification decisions cover third-party AI assistants on Android and search-data access for rival search engines.

The Register placed the search-data sharing specifications in January 2027 and the AI interoperability measures in July 2027 if the decisions survive Google’s defence and judicial-review routes.

Android AI Measures Cover Gemini Rivals

The Android decision requires Google to give third-party AI providers wider access to Android-powered devices.

The measures include voice activation in place of Gemini and the ability for third-party services to take actions in apps on a user’s behalf.

The European Commission stated that Android competitors currently have restricted access to key functions.

The decision is intended to let users activate their preferred AI assistant, while allowing Google to apply objective and non-discriminatory eligibility conditions for privacy, security and integrity.

The article said the specification proceeding is not a non-compliance decision and does not itself decide whether Google has violated DMA obligations.

The Commission will monitor implementation over the coming two years, leaving compliance details to the formal measures rather than a finding of breach.

Google’s president of global affairs, Kent Walker, argued that the decisions risk undermining privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans.

On Android, Walker warned that external apps could receive sensitive device permissions without original-equipment-maker safeguards.

Search Data Rules Start With Anonymisation

The search-data decision requires Google to share data it collects to optimise its own search services, subject to anonymisation.

The Commission wants rival search engines, including AI chatbots with search functions, to use the data to improve their own services and compete more effectively.

The anonymisation measures described by the Commission include suppressing search records that contain rare items such as usernames, passwords, addresses and bank-account information.

According to the Commission's description, metadata must be generalised, users must be grouped into bundles of at least 1,000 people with similar location and device data, and direct and indirect identifiers must be removed.

Eligible recipients will be limited to beneficiaries with verified investment plans to improve online search services.

Recipients may not link the search data to other datasets, share it with third parties, or use it outside search-service improvement.

The same account cited the Commission’s view that Google’s earlier attempts to open search data had not been effective.

Google countered that the specification could expose private searches to companies users do not know, while the Commission described suppression, grouping and audit requirements as safeguards for access.

Audits And Legal Review Keep The Timetable Open

Search-data recipients must undergo independent audits before access and yearly audits afterward, according to The Register.

The Commission also stated that the measures will be subject to biennial reviews so practical experience and new developments can be considered.

Google argued that Europeans’ private searches could be exposed to unfamiliar companies without adequate anonymisation or user knowledge.

The company also told The Register that the specifications do not include explicit user consent and warned that search data could be handed to AI chatbot companies.

The Commission stated that Google still has rights of defence and that independent judicial scrutiny remains available.

The remaining public-record gaps are an accepted Google compliance plan, any approved search-data recipient and a final court timetable.