The European Commission has issued two separate decisions requiring Google to grant rivals significantly greater access to core parts of Android and Google Search. The decisions, handed down on 15 and 16 July 2026, are grounded in the Digital Markets Act (DMA) — the EU's toughened competition framework for large technology platforms — and could fundamentally reshape how AI assistants compete on European smartphones.

What the decisions actually mean

The crux of the European Commission's ruling is that Google can no longer use Android as a closed gateway through which its own services — including the Gemini AI assistant — enjoy a structural advantage over competitors. According to the research material underlying this article, rivals will now be able to activate their assistants using their own voice triggers and perform actions inside other apps on the user's behalf.

This is not symbolic politics. Access to voice activation and so-called cross-app functionality is the very infrastructure that makes an AI assistant useful in everyday life. Without this access, alternatives to Gemini have been structurally disadvantaged — regardless of their technological quality.

Without access to voice activation and cross-app actions, rival assistants have been structurally disadvantaged — regardless of their technological quality
EU forces Google to open Android to rival AI: Norway is also affected - Bilde 1

Norwegian relevance: the DMA applies to the EEA too

Norway is not an EU member, but through the EEA Agreement it is closely tied to the EU's internal market. The DMA has been incorporated into EEA legislation, meaning that the same obligations now imposed on Google in the EU effectively apply to Norwegian users and Norwegian app developers as well. Norwegian companies developing AI services or search technology could therefore potentially benefit from the same opening that the EU is now requiring.

The DMA is part of EEA legislation — Google's new obligations toward the EU effectively apply to the Norwegian market as well

Google warns of privacy risks

Google has not accepted the decisions without a fight. Kent Walker, the company's president of global affairs, claims according to the research material that the decisions "risk undermining important privacy and security mechanisms for millions of Europeans" and could "weaken citizens' privacy, threaten trade secrets, and endanger national security."

The Commission says it has built robust safeguards into the decisions, and that Google may carry out cybersecurity and privacy risk assessments before sharing data with third parties. Critics will argue that Google's reasoning is strategic — the company has used privacy as a shield in previous competition cases.

Pressure from both sides of the Atlantic

The EU is not alone in pressing Google. In the United States, it was established in August 2024 that Google had illegally exploited its dominance in search, and US authorities have considered measures such as a forced sale of Android or Chrome. As recently as 13 July 2026, the company Sensory, Inc. was granted the right to proceed with a lawsuit alleging that Google used Android distribution agreements to force its own voice triggers on the market and block competitors.

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Android features opened to rivals
July 2027
Deadline for user access

In addition, from the week of 16 July 2026 — as a result of the settlement with Epic Games — Google must allow US users to download third-party apps directly through the Google Play Store. While this concerns app distribution, it sets a precedent for further opening of the Android ecosystem.

What happens next

According to the research material, the timeline is as follows: app developers can expect certification criteria from Google by May 2027. Access to the Android features themselves is expected to roll out with Android 18, likely in the summer of 2027, while Android 19 is set to enable users to have multiple AI assistants active simultaneously.

For players such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Samsung (with Bixby), or European AI startups, this could open doors that have been shut since the smartphone became the primary platform for digital services. Whether the decisions will actually alter the competitive landscape — or whether Google will find ways to comply with the requirements without surrendering its real-world advantage — remains to be seen.