The European Commission has concluded its specification proceeding into Android’s AI stack, finding that Google gives its own Gemini assistant system‑level privileges that crowd out rivals. Under the Digital Markets Act, the EU says Android must allow third‑party chatbots the same access to data, hot‑word triggers and proactive suggestions. Google calls the move an “unwarranted intervention” that would force hardware‑level changes.

Regulators point to concrete cases where only Gemini can, for example, draft email replies in the default mail client or suggest photo sharing without user prompting. Competitors such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude can be installed, but they lack the deep integration that lets Gemini read screen context or run local models. The commission proposes new free‑of‑charge APIs and hardware‑access mandates to level the field.

Google warns that opening system‑level hooks could raise compliance costs, erode privacy safeguards and force device makers to redesign firmware. Failure to comply by the July 27 deadline could trigger fines up to 10 % of global revenue, a penalty already applied for other DMA breaches. Regardless of the timeline, European users can expect Android to support multiple AI assistants sooner rather than later.