Policy
EU gives Google a year to open Android, while Apple's Siri AI remains blocked from Europe
The European Commission ordered Google to share Android access with rival AI assistants by 2027, but denied Apple's request for similar flexibility—handing Google a strategic advantage in the regulatory standoff.
The Verge
The European Commission delivered a pair of decisions on its AI interoperability requirements this week, but they worked out very differently for Google and Apple. While both tech giants face pressure to open their platforms under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), Google secured breathing room that Apple could not.
The EU's antitrust regulator ordered Google to grant competing AI assistants the same level of system access and data that its Gemini service receives on Android. The catch: Google has until July 2027 to comply—a roughly year-long grace period that lets the company continue rolling out Gemini improvements while negotiating technical details with Brussels. Gemini is already deeply woven into Android and shipped as the default assistant on many devices, meaning that extended timeline strengthens Google's competitive position considerably before rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic gain equivalent access.
How the strategies diverged#
Google and Apple took opposite approaches to the same regulatory challenge. Google shipped Gemini first and is now figuring out compliance after the fact. Apple chose a different path: when it unveiled its redesigned Siri AI last month, the company explicitly announced it would withhold the feature from Europe, citing DMA requirements as incompatible with its privacy and security standards.
Apple had requested 18 months to build a compliant version with gradual rollout. The Commission rejected that proposal flat, leaving Apple without a clear timeline for bringing Siri AI to European users.
The messaging battle#
Apple amplified its opposition publicly and forcefully. The company devoted part of its keynote address to explaining the DMA's impact, published a blog post titled "Due to DMA, Siri AI delayed in EU for iOS 27 and iPadOS 27," and held media briefings on the issue. By making the dispute visible and framing Brussels as the obstacle rather than its own product choices, Apple appears to be appealing to public opinion and political pressure.
Google, by contrast, engaged quietly with regulators while continuing to expand its offering. Both companies fundamentally oppose DMA interoperability demands, viewing them as threats to privacy and security. Yet their tactical choices produced sharply different regulatory outcomes.
