EU Launches Formal Action to Force Google to Share Android Access and Search Data Under DMA

Brussels has moved from warning to formal action, instructing Google to provide third-party AI services parity with its own assistant’s access to the Android platform and to share anonymized search interaction datasets with rival engines. The step uses the Digital Markets Act as a compliance lever and sets a firm six-month window for Google to align its behavior with the Commission’s expectations. If Google fails to deliver acceptable changes within that period, regulators may open a full investigation that can culminate in significant financial penalties capped at a percentage of global revenue. The remedies demanded are concrete: feature parity for external AI services on Android and release of anonymized ranking, query, click and view records to competing search providers so they can better tune results and models. For alternative search engines and independent AI developers, access to those datasets and platform hooks could materially lower technical barriers to building competitive offerings on mobile devices. From a product engineering perspective, satisfying parity likely requires Google to document, expose, and maintain APIs or integration points that its own services now enjoy, while also addressing telemetry and data-sharing mechanics at scale. Privacy and security concerns will be front and center; anonymization standards and safeguards will determine whether shared data can be useful without exposing personal information. The move sits atop a string of EU probes into alleged self-preferencing and disputed use of publisher content, signaling that regulators are knitting together multiple enforcement threads to reshape dominant platform conduct. For Google, the demand poses operational decisions: redesign platform interfaces, revise data governance, or litigate the scope of DMA obligations — each path carries cost and strategic risk. Competing vendors could accelerate improvements in search relevance and assistant capabilities if they receive high-quality interaction logs, potentially altering market dynamics on Android devices. Device manufacturers and app developers will watch implementation closely because changes could affect preinstall agreements, default settings, and the value of bundled services. Practically, the Commission’s timeline compresses implementation and leaves limited runway for complex engineering, legal, and privacy reviews. The likely outcome over the next half-year will define whether the EU can translate DMA principles into enforceable technical interoperability and data access that reshapes how AI systems compete on mobile platforms.