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EU Orders Google to Give Rival AI Apps the Same Android Access as Gemini
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obviouslogic
macrumors 6502
First of all, these laws have NOTHING to do with preventing a monopoly… If any company makes a product that brings in more than $5 billion, REGARDLESS of market share, then they are considered a “gatekeeper” to that product’s platform and are subject to these laws.
You cannot have a monopoly over your own product, that’s an extremely ridiculous notion and not sure where that idea came from. “monopoly” applies to markets, not products. If Apple had a monopoly of the mobile device market, then there would be an issue if they disallowed others to compete within their platform. But Apple does not have a monopoly, in fact Apple stands at about 20% market share worldwide.
What the EU is actually doing is trying to force a mono-technological market. Where there is nothing left but a single “open” platform–by the time they’re done, there will be no difference between iOS and Android. They are in fact stripping away that choice; An iPhone won’t be functionally any different from an Android phone. They fail to see that some users prefer a walled-garden approach, because all those “choices” aren’t necessary for a device to work properly.
Instead of forcing a company like Apple to turn their OS into some open Android-like OS, why don’t they create that stripped down, completely open OS, and force vendors and retailers in the EU to carry and sell devices with their EUtopia OS? But, that would take actual effort and be costly… It doesn’t cost them anything to create laws (that even they cannot consistently interpret), and collect money when they eventually decide which way to actually interpret those laws.
What’s interesting to me is that it appears the EU believes its existing privacy laws are sufficient to keep consumers safe in these situations, and is therefore justified in forcing google and Apple to allow AI assistants access.
My view would be that EUs privacy laws do not go anywhere near far enough to project citizens, is rarely enforced, and we need companies like Apple to provide additional protections to consumers that the EU don’t. I don’t think the EU likes that concept.
My view would be that EUs privacy laws do not go anywhere near far enough to project citizens, is rarely enforced, and we need companies like Apple to provide additional protections to consumers that the EU don’t. I don’t think the EU likes that concept.
ECHLN
macrumors newbie
The talent isn’t there. And when it is there, they end up moving
Apple asked for opinion and pre-approval. They got their answer and chose not to move forward regardless.
Google did not ask, they just chose to fight. They will get that.
Now that Google is already selling "system AI phones" on the market, they will have harder time pulling back. If they end up losing in court in ~ 2 years, they might be liable to refund consumers for the product they are forced to pull back.
Apple chose not to take that risk.
The risk might be worth taking, Google will be winning marketshare in EU by being the only one with system AI phone. It is clearly an important feature and Apple has chosen not to match the feature.
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CarlJ
Contributor
And this right here is why Apple is not enabling their AI version of Siri in the EU - that was a good call.
sos47
macrumors 6502a
i think thats true.
we (in the EU) will get “chat control” soon and are not far away from “social points”
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rocknrollme
macrumors member
I really don’t understand the amount of hate towards the EU here. They’re regulating for the benefit of the end consumer. If it weren’t for them, we’d still be running Internet Explorer and using iPhones with Lightning ports.
LET THE USER DECIDE for gods sake. I’m from Germany and since the EU cancels us everything that’s fun, I guess in a short period of time we move so much backwards that we start using horses and carriages again
Apps from third party app stores still need to use APIs that limit what they can do. The EU here is asking AIs to have unfettered access to the entirety of your devices.
That’s a shortsighted view of AI. What is usually called slop is generative AI. AI that summarizes content and explains things is not slop and is useful for millions to learn and work. SiriAI is that kind of AI. That the usefulness of an assistant needs to be explained in 2026 is kind of absurd when every company uses AI, and not always for useless things but for actual work.
- Alternative app doesn't access your data systemwide nor agentically control your device.
- If user decides to use a walled garden product, that's on them.
Rockanrolero
macrumors member
SanderEvers
macrumors 6502a
maszaikasza
macrumors regular
I'm not sure "we should keep a big-tech monopoly because customers are stupid" should count as a valid argument in this discussion. If there were no law demonopolizing the PC/Mac browser market, 95% of users would still be using Internet Explorer. Users should have a say in who gets access to their data.
iccb
macrumors member
Apple or Google want that only their own AI tools is used. EU want's that user (OWNER of the device) can choose what AI tool to use. Of course Apple or Google does not want that.
So, what is so scary with companies like Openai or Anthropic compared to Apple or Google? Every different AI company wants users to use their AI and pay that.
I don't see giving users options to choose is not bad.
So, what is so scary with companies like Openai or Anthropic compared to Apple or Google? Every different AI company wants users to use their AI and pay that.
I don't see giving users options to choose is not bad.
SanderEvers
macrumors 6502a
That's not going to happen. We will, however, get gimped products with half the features disabled or removed entirely.
For our 'protection'. Also you will be forced to use a digital Id on the internet and all your chats can bee seen by the EU in the same process.
uller6
macrumors 65816
Lightning ports were much easier to clean out with a toothpick than usb-c. And, they were designed to break the cable in cases where the cable got yanked, not the device. I miss lightning.
SanderEvers
macrumors 6502a
And now everyone using a Chromium fork or FireFox is a better solution? Chrome has become the new IE.
Also Apple was moving away from lightning YEARS before the EU mandated it. The EU mandate only is going to achieve that in 20 years time we will still be stuck with using USB-C while faster ports will be used outside the EU.
TracerAnalog
macrumors 65816
That jailbreak argument is just as absurd. Bad actors will have new vectors with these rules. It is precisely the 'normies' and not the 'nerds' that will be targeted by going through a badly protected alternative store, unfettered AI access and what not. Popular apps that are cloned, paying methods that are shady, reroutes via web links, improper access to personal data... Apple and Google will be fighting to fix loopholes and exploits because they no longer control the whole chain. The EU is betting these companies will do the work, but it is tricky. Overregulation is a thing in the EU (endless cookie pop-ups😱), just as the opposite seems to be true in the USA where 'go fast, go hard, break things and than fix it' seems to be the norm. Which is why AI got to be where it is today, and why the EU cannot follow, so there's that.
maszaikasza
macrumors regular
Chromium-based browsers are indeed much better solution. People choose to use Chrome - that's fine. Apple/Google deciding what users can or cannot use - is it fine too?
I literally don't know anyone who has any interest in those alternative app stores in the eu (on iOS). It was a useless exercise.
It's really nuts that they are trying to _prevent_ a monopoly. Siri AI is banned if before it's even released here. How can it have a monopoly when it's not even here? This is like that Tom Cruise movie where they were arresting people before the crime was committed.
You do understand that you are paying for your health care from your salary right? Look how much you pay every month from your salary for it. Also they don't care about you as a customer in the EU at the moment. They voted again for Chat Control 1.0 because they failed passing Chat Control 2.0, Mandatory ID Verification already rolled out in some cases via a Palantir owned company and is coming EU wide. They just want access to our data.
steggerwoof
macrumors member
Seriously though, who in their right mind would want to be the US?
Happiness - you rank 23rd
Education - maths, (note the s) you are 26th in the world, lagging behind East Asia and parts of Europe
Healthcare - you're last against wealthy peers and 69th in global indexes
Safety and Peace - you're 134th
You're first in nominal GDP with a projected output of $32 trillion, but let's be honest, that doesn't help the average American, it helps corporations.
Quick edit: I'm from the UK, and I know we're far from perfect, and we have serious problems, but I think the key difference is we, we being the general public, we know it and we don't try to suggest we're better than everyone else.
DENZIE
macrumors 6502
it’s kinda mad how competition regulators get the wrong end of the stick here. Why are folks defending a multi billion dollar corp when what the eu is intending is good for consumer 🤷🏻