EU Orders Google to Give Rival AI Apps the Same Android Access as Gemini

[SanderEvers]

What I wanted to say is that, ultimately, it is the user who decides which app they want to use for browsing the internet. That is not the case with AI assistants, which will play a similar role to browsers 25 years ago.
Also, I don’t understand the list you provided. You can easily install Opera, Brave, Edge, or any other browser on your own computer. Likewise, nothing prevents you from developing a brand-new, revolutionary browser for PC or Mac (and, to a large extent, even for iOS in the EU). But you cannot build an AI assistant under the same rules that allowed Apple to build and deeply integrate Siri into iOS.
I am sure that even if Apple fully complied with the DMA, probably around 95% of users would still choose Siri over any other assistant. But that decision should belong to the user, not to a monopolistic Big Tech company.

Opera, Brave and Edge are all Chromium these days. I was listing browser engines, not browsers. And sure I am a very awesome developer who can develop a new browser engine when I want. But most sites will still prefer Chrome/Chromium specific hacks.

 

[mrochester]

Allf othis is just false.

Apple would have standardized to USB-C you say? So if that was their intention, why in the hell were they so opposed to the standardization for over 12 years, and why did it take them 9 years to adopt USB-C? The EU also never tried to standardize on Micro-USB either, that was a decision made by the manufacturers at the time when the EU had asked them to self-regulate and Micro-USB was the best available option in 2009, which they then collectively replaced by USB-C when the spec was finished in 2014, which Apple then subsequently opposed to comply with for 8 years, after which the EU converted to voluntary self regulation into a legal mandate.

And yet again, the insinuation that this somehow makes "innovation illegal" is hilarious. It doesn't. The law requires a standardized port, it doesn't say that has to be USB-C, and it has provisions in it to move to better ports when they come around.

---

The EU demanding that Apple and Google don't use their positions to kill off other AI efforts before they ever get the chance is a good thing for consumers. These OSes already have prompts that ask users if they want to share data with apps, this is no different. All the EU is asking is that consumers can also deny Google and Apple to just run away with data they are unwilling to allow their users to give to other companies that want to provide the same services. It isn't up to Apple or Google to decide if a user should be allowed to share their data with OpenAI, Antrophic, Mistral, or any AI company. What the hell makes Google or Apple more trustworthy than those?

Microsoft seems to be doing just fine following these regulations...

The first all USBC Apple laptop was 2015.

The first USBC iPad was 2018.

The first USBC iPhone was 2023.

All well ahead of the EU 2025 USBC mandate.

I think you have some revisionist history going on here!

 

[BigQJohnson]

Microsoft seems to be doing just fine following these regulations...

Microsoft doesn't "do fine" following these regulations.

Microsoft is a whole different beast. They have no mobile OS. Their desktop OS is heavily integrated with sloppilot, and that can't be changed.

Microsoft 2024 revenue breakdown is roughly as follows:
40% cloud/azure (unaffected)
20% office (unaffected)
10% windows (partially affected)
10% gaming (unaffected)
Remainder: hardware, enterprise, ad revenue. (unaffected)

I just don't get it. Buy Apple to get an Apple experience, buy Google to get a Google experience. I don't expect to be able to install Siri on an Amazon Echo.

Exactly. But more so my geriatric parents (and other digitally inept people) should not be exposed to choices they don't understand. They are on Apple because of the relatively safe walled garden.

I don't want to have to deal with non-apple slop when I support them.

 

[one more]

Good timing. With both Apple and Google (the largest players on the market) being asked to comply with the DMA regulations, the solution should now be found much faster than just Apple facing it alone.

Interestingly, the EC also gave Google a year to comply, yet previously refused Apple 18 months to find a solution. Really, EC, do the six extra months asked for by Apple make such a difference?

 

[nexusrule]

It’s only an additional option if every app is available in every store.

If stores have exclusive access to apps, then it’s not an additional option, it’s the consumer being forced to use something to get access to the app they want.

Sure, but personally I prefer an elected entity to regulate the market than letting private companies control the market. Right now companies like Apple and Google controls how the market works, I don’t think it’s good the same way I don’t think the lack of regulations are good for food quality, the environment, health systems etc. Contemporary US and US companies are a great example of why imho it isn’t good, look at how many times companies dictate people what is best (data centers invasion, AI companies that monitor citizens for the government, drug prices with 20-30 times the prices that EU countries, average food quality etc.)

 

[BigQJohnson]

Sure, but personally I prefer an elected entity to regulate the market than letting private companies control the market. Right now companies like Apple and Google controls how the market works, I don’t think it’s good the same way I don’t think the lack of regulations are good for food quality, the environment, health systems etc. Contemporary US and US companies are a great example of why imho it isn’t good, look at how many times companies dictate people what is best (data centers invasion, AI companies that monitor citizens for the government, drug prices with 20-30 times the prices that EU countries, average food quality etc.)

The EU is not an elected entity lol.

 

[MeasterHD]

I think it's more nuanced than that. The US is clearly ahead in software, AI, venture capital and companies like Apple, Nvidia or OpenAI. But Europe still leads in areas like advanced manufacturing, industrial automation, luxury goods and automotive engineering. Germany's machine tools, ASML's lithography systems and Airbus are all world-class innovations. Different ecosystems, different strengths.

And yet all of that is getting hammered by EU's dictatorship. Farmers are getting wiped out, automotive industry is getting wiped out and list is going on.

 

[nexusrule]

Since Chromium is made by one of those companies, you would say yes to your own question. (see the whole Manifest v3 debacle) Yes Chromium is better than IE6. But that's not the issue.

Early 2000s we had:
1. IE
2. Safari
3. FireFox
4. Netscape
5. Opera
6. Chrome

Now in 2026, we have:
1. Chrome
2. FireFox
3. Safari (on a Mac / iPhone / iPad)

This is NOT an improvement. We need MORE choice, but the EU gave us LESS.

The EU has nothing to do with the browser market share change. The EU just told MS they had to let users choose which browser to use in a more obvious way. Google becoming a giant and using the google home page to push Chrome made Chrome big. IE fell off because of that (average users moving to Chrome from IE because they recognized the brand). The rest of your list is disingenuous, Netscape wasn’t a thing way before IE started to fade out, Opera has always been very small and still exists, MS edge replaced IE and still have 10-12% of desktop market share.

 

[nexusrule]

The EU is not an elected entity lol.

The EU parliament is elected by EU citizens just like any government parliament. EU laws are passed by the EU parliament. Saying that EU is not elected because it also employees non-elected people it’s like saying all governments are non-elected. All governments employ experts in different fields to actually design the laws and run government organizations. According to your (propaganda-driven?) logic then democracy doesn’t exist.

The European Parliament officially adopted the landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA) on July 5, 2022, in a landslide vote of 588 to 11

 

[nikusak]

Allf othis is just false.

Apple would have standardized to USB-C you say? So if that was their intention, why in the hell were they so opposed to the standardization for over 12 years, and why did it take them 9 years to adopt USB-C? The EU also never tried to standardize on Micro-USB either, that was a decision made by the manufacturers at the time when the EU had asked them to self-regulate and Micro-USB was the best available option in 2009, which they then collectively replaced by USB-C when the spec was finished in 2014, which Apple then subsequently opposed to comply with for 8 years, after which the EU converted to voluntary self regulation into a legal mandate.

And yet again, the insinuation that this somehow makes "innovation illegal" is hilarious. It doesn't. The law requires a standardized port, it doesn't say that has to be USB-C, and it has provisions in it to move to better ports when they come around.

---

The EU demanding that Apple and Google don't use their positions to kill off other AI efforts before they ever get the chance is a good thing for consumers. These OSes already have prompts that ask users if they want to share data with apps, this is no different. All the EU is asking is that consumers can also deny Google and Apple to just run away with data they are unwilling to allow their users to give to other companies that want to provide the same services. It isn't up to Apple or Google to decide if a user should be allowed to share their data with OpenAI, Antrophic, Mistral, or any AI company. What the hell makes Google or Apple more trustworthy than those?

Microsoft seems to be doing just fine following these regulations...

Apparently EU was not involved yet at this stage, but European standardisation bodies were:

European standardization bodies formalize micro-USB cellphone charger standard - Engadget

It's been more than a year since Nokia, Apple, RIM, Motorola and just about every other major cellphone manufacturer agreed on a micro-USB cellphone charger standard for Europe, but the two key European standards bodies have just now finally followed up on their end of the bargain. CEN-CENELEC...

www.engadget.com

Apple supported the proposal (!) and I do not know how Apple was (thankfully) allowed to introduce Lightning and use it. Lightning was great, for a good few years.

Apple started using USB-C already in 2015 in the MacBook, and more or less everything except the iPhone had moved to USB-C already. It was only a matter of time for the iPhone as well since Lightning was aging. Mfi revenue is negligible in the grand scheme of things.

By the way, remember how Apple was slammed for removing all but USB-C ports from MacBooks? It was an evil plan to sell dongles (0,01% of their revenues) except that ANY dongle could be used 🙂

And yes, this will make innovation harder and slower as everything has to go through the EC.

When it comes to AI, it is Apple's and Google's responsibility to guarantee platform safety.

Nobody knows in detail what kind of solution regarding data access Apple offered to the EC, why the EC rejected the proposal and what it is that EC actually wants.

Until we know, this discussion is quite fruitless. I'm sure both sides are not entirely wrong in their reasoning.

Financially, Apple has nothing to lose if they allow third parties, since Siri AI will be free, at least for the most part.

When it comes to Microsoft, Windows AI stuff will soon be subject to these same rules, if it's anything like Siri/Gemini AI.

Edit:

The proposal regarding charging was a EC specification after all. Apple's Lightning did not violate it as an adapter could be used.

Common external power supply - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[mrochester]

Sure, but personally I prefer an elected entity to regulate the market than letting private companies control the market. Right now companies like Apple and Google controls how the market works, I don’t think it’s good the same way I don’t think the lack of regulations are good for food quality, the environment, health systems etc. Contemporary US and US companies are a great example of why imho it isn’t good, look at how many times companies dictate people what is best (data centers invasion, AI companies that monitor citizens for the government, drug prices with 20-30 times the prices that EU countries, average food quality etc.)

But letting the developer decide which store to sell their app in is a private company controlling the market.

Either way, the consumer is not the one getting to choose.

True consumer choices comes when every app is available in every store, and every store is available to the consumer (a bit like google making every play store app available in all 3rd party stores, and all third party stores being downloadable from the play store - however, some developers are not happy about their apps being made available in all third party stores despite the fact this is a pro-consumer move).

A lot like how music streaming works now (which is precisely why Spotify are now trying to get exclusive content so that you are forced to use Spotify to get that content).

 

[BigQJohnson]

I think it's more nuanced than that. The US is clearly ahead in software, AI, venture capital and companies like Apple, Nvidia or OpenAI. But Europe still leads in areas like advanced manufacturing, industrial automation, luxury goods and automotive engineering. Germany's machine tools, ASML's lithography systems and Airbus are all world-class innovations. Different ecosystems, different strengths.

Not to burst your bubble, but the European automotive industry is at deaths door, most "luxury" goods are made in low cost countries and just have final work done in the EU to get that little label on it. ASML is only in Europe because of massive government support and tailor made tax and regulatory agreements. Germany's machine tools are fantastic, but China is quickly catching up. Airbus is dependent on tens of billions in government subsidies and support packages.

Here is one "fun" factoid for you.

If you add the market cap of the top 20 biggest companies in Europe COMBINED you have about 1 Apple or 1 Nvidia.

Out of the top 10 biggest publicly traded companies in the world. 9 are American and 1 is Taiwanese.

ASML comes in at 12 as the most valuable EU based company.

Also according to OECD Compendium of Productivity Indicators 2026 the productivity in the US grew 11 times faster in the same period than in the EU. (note: EU productivity is at 75% of US productivity, and the gap is widening).

 

[maszaikasza]

Opera, Brave and Edge are all Chromium these days. I was listing browser engines, not browsers. And sure I am a very awesome developer who can develop a new browser engine when I want. But most sites will still prefer Chrome/Chromium specific hacks.

So it's Blink/Chromium, Gecko, and WebKit. Also, most sites will prefer Blink/Chromium because it became the standard, which is good, fast, and efficient. But again, this standard should be shaped by market demand, not a single company's decision to shut out other players in the field. Yes, I know Apple and Google own their operating systems, so they can decide whatever they want. But is it profitable from the users' perspective?

 

[wanha]

exactly. they want the rewards without the risks... typical EU

true.

What's also true is companies want access to markets (rewards) without dealing with any of the negative externalities

Both sides are stupid and bad for civilization.

 

[Mr. Nice]

the question is who is actually fighting for the consumer?

Who?
Some tech billionaires?
Some CEOs of the big techs?
🙄
I stick with the EU. 👍

 

[Abazigal]

It sounds like Google could do what Apple did and remove Gemini access from their android devices.

Which conveniently would remove the biggest criticism about Apple not making Siri AI available on iOS - that users would simply migrate to Android where...the Google equivalent is also not available? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Mr. Nice]

I hope google just does the same thing as apple. Pull the feature from the EU.

What ever became of the famous saying:

“Apple should leave the market”?
What happened to it?
😂

 

[DickieSmith]

To use a poker analogy:

Google called.
Apple folded.

Hard disagree.

To fold would be to cave to EU demands that they grant any AI service equal access to the platform.

Google and Apple are both still playing against the EU but with very different strategies.

 

[one more]

So, Google is given well over 18 months (since the integration of Gemini into Android in the EU) to open up Android and allow competitors the same OS access that Gemini has, but when Apple asks for the same treatment they’re told to take a hike by EU regulators? Wow.

Apple should sue.

Google and their customers are being rewarded because Google deliberately ignored the law. While Apple and their customers are being punished because Apple is following the law and making a fuss about it. Insane and unjust application of the law by the EU.

Yes, this is weird in principle, considering Google are allowed to keep it as is and keep the right of appeal during this time. The EC gave Google one year to comply and denied one year and a half (18 months) asked for by Apple.

 

[Ad47uk]

They're not trying to help EU citizens. They're trying to protect their non-existent alternative options.

What alternative options? As far as i know there is no EU Ai, granted they are trying to get an office suite to replace MS Office. There are also some online services based in Europe, |I use one myself for my domain.

 

[DickieSmith]

The EU parliament is elected by EU citizens just like any government parliament. EU laws are passed by the EU parliament. Saying that EU is not elected because it also employees non-elected people it’s like saying all governments are non-elected. All governments employ experts in different fields to actually design the laws and run government organizations. According to your (propaganda-driven?) logic then democracy doesn’t exist.

The European Parliament officially adopted the landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA) on July 5, 2022, in a landslide vote of 588 to 11

Members of the EU Parliament are not able to propose laws, they can only debate and vote on those laws proposed by an unelected commission. That is not "just like any government parliament".

 

[one more]

Hard disagree.

To fold would be to cave to EU demands that they grant any AI service equal access to the platform.

Google and Apple are both still playing against the EU but with very different strategies.

Google seem to have chosen a better strategy, though, as Android EU users will be able to use Gemini for a year and educate their LLM, while Apple users will be stuck waiting.

 

[one more]

What alternative options? As far as i know there is no EU Ai, granted they are trying to get an office suite to replace MS Office. There are also some online services based in Europe, |I use one myself for my domain.

There are some European AI players like Euria (Switzerland) and Mistral Vibe (France), but their number of users is obviously minuscule compared to both Gemini and Siri AI.

 

[DickieSmith]

Google seem to have chosen a better strategy, though, as Android EU users will be able to use Gemini for a year and educate their LLM, while Apple users will be stuck waiting.

Perhaps, but I can also envisage a lawsuit by Android users who have a feature they paid for removed in 12 months time. This gives Google additional pressure to cave to the EU in 12 months time if they want to avoid the lawsuit.

 

[Kriss_De_Valnor]

What if both Apple and Android pulled out of the EU. Let everyone there use Nokia flip phones that Brussels can regulate.

Or Ericsson 🤣