Apple backs Google as EU pushes to open Android to AI rivals

At a glance:

• Apple has sided with Google against EU draft rules that would force Android to grant third-party AI services the same deep access Gemini currently enjoys.
• The European Commission's measures include handing over anonymized ranking, query, click and view data from Google Search to rival engines and opening Android's AI interfaces to competitors.
• Apple warned the draft rules would create "profound risks" for user privacy, security, and device integrity, while also noting its own ongoing DMA investigation by the commission.

EU demands Google open Android to rival AI services

The European Commission has been steadily tightening the screws on Google under the Digital Markets Act, and the latest salvo goes straight to the heart of the Android ecosystem. In January, the commission told Google it must give external AI assistants the same level of access to Android that its own Gemini model enjoys, and it must hand over "anonymized ranking, query, click and view data held by Google Search" to competing search engines.

The stated aim, according to the commission, is to ensure third-party providers have "an equal opportunity to innovate and compete in the rapidly evolving AI landscape on smart mobile devices." The thinking is that opening up Android will keep the AI market competitive and spur innovation rather than letting a single ecosystem lock in users.

In April, the commission released draft rules laying out the specific measures it expects Google to take in order to comply. Google's legal team pushed back hard, arguing that the proposals would undermine "critical privacy and security for European users" and would unnecessarily drive up costs for the company.

Apple echoes Google's privacy concerns

What caught attention was Apple's decision to echo Google's objections almost verbatim. According to Reuters, Apple submitted feedback in response to the commission's call for comments on the draft rules and aligned closely with Google's position that granting competing AI services full access to Android would erode European users' privacy.

Apple reportedly wrote that the draft measures raise "urgent and serious concerns" and that, if confirmed, they would create "profound risks for user privacy, security, and safety as well as device integrity and performance." The worry is that third-party AI systems would be able to interact with the apps people use to send emails, order food, or share photos — a level of access that goes well beyond what most users would expect or consent to.

Apple also flagged that AI systems are still evolving and have capabilities and behaviors that remain unpredictable. "The EC... is substituting judgments made by Google's engineers for its own judgment based on less than three months of work," the company reportedly wrote, questioning the compressed timeline the commission had to draft its rules. Apple added that the approach is especially dangerous given that "the only value that can be discerned from the DMs guiding this work appears to be open and unfettered access."

Apple has its own DMA troubles

Apple's intervention is not purely altruistic. The company has admitted it has a "strong interest" in the case because it is itself under investigation by the same commission. Apple has long opposed the Digital Markets Act, under which it is required to allow third-party marketplaces for apps on its operating systems, and it had previously asked the commission to repeal the regulation entirely.

In January, Apple went a step further, accusing the EU's executive body of using "political delay tactics" to investigate and fine the company following the shutdown of an alternative app store. That comment suggests Apple sees the commission's enforcement actions — including the current push on Google — as part of a broader pattern of regulatory pressure rather than a principled stand on competition.

The irony is hard to miss: Apple is defending Google's right to control its own AI stack on Android while resisting similar demands on iOS. For critics of the DMA, Apple's position reinforces the argument that the regulation is being applied unevenly and that big tech companies will use it as a weapon against each other.

What happens next

The commission's draft rules are still in the consultation phase, and both Google and Apple have made clear they intend to fight the measures. Google has already signaled it will challenge any final order, and Apple's public alignment with its rival suggests a coordinated front among the largest platform holders against what they see as an overreach by Brussels.

Observers will be watching to see whether the commission tightens its language in a final version or whether it softens demands around data sharing and API access. For developers and AI startups hoping to reach Android users without going through Google's Gemini, the outcome could determine whether Europe becomes a more open market or a regulatory dead end.

Why the stakes are high for the AI market

The debate sits at the intersection of two of the biggest policy questions in tech right now: whether AI should be treated as a public utility that regulators can pry open, and whether mobile platforms can maintain security boundaries when third-party models are given deep system access.

If the commission gets its way, rival AI assistants could interact with Android at the same level as Gemini — meaning they could read messages, place orders, and manipulate photo libraries on a user's behalf. Proponents say that is exactly the point: competition only works if challengers can offer a comparable experience. Opponents counter that it hands those capabilities to every AI provider on the planet with no guarantee of consistent safety or privacy standards.

The outcome will also send a signal to Apple and other platform holders about how aggressively the DMA will be enforced in the AI era. With both companies under scrutiny, the next few months could set precedents that shape the competitive landscape for years to come.