EU Orders Google to Open Search and AI Services and Allow Third-Party App Stores
The European Union has ordered Google to share search data and open its Android platform to rival AI companies, and also allow third-party app stores within the Google Play Store following an antitrust lawsuit from Epic Games.
The European Commission issued two legally binding decisions under the Digital Markets Act ordering GOOGL to open its Android system to rival AI assistants and to share anonymized search data with competing search engines. Regulators found that non-Google AI agents could not operate on Android at parity with Gemini.
Google must let alternative AI assistants use voice activation and run background tasks such as bookings, and separately will allow third-party app stores inside the Play Store. Search-data sharing begins in January 2027, with the Android changes reaching users from July 2027.
Alphabet pushed back, with global affairs chief Kent Walker warning the rules could weaken user privacy and expose trade secrets. Investors will weigh the competitive opening for rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic against limited near-term impact on Google's core ad and search economics.
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