The EU pressures Google to open core Android features to ChatGPT and Claude, signaling the start of the AI gateway battle.

EU regulators are preparing to issue specific demands to Google under the Digital Markets Act, forcing the opening of core Android features to competitors like ChatGPT, Claude, and others. Gemini’s currently exclusive access rights may be fully opened up.
(Background: Google admits to collaborating with Apple: Gemini takes over Siri functions, reportedly earning Apple up to $1 billion annually)
(Additional background: Google Maps integrates Gemini, launching three major AI features targeting enterprise agents)

Table of Contents

Toggle

• Mandatory openness obligations under the DMA framework
• Google’s resistance logic and potential costs
• The reshaping impact on the AI assistant market

Google’s dominance in AI on Android is being cornered by a draft document from EU regulators. Bloomberg reports that the EU authorities are about to release preliminary findings, detailing the specific measures Alphabet’s Google must take to grant ChatGPT from OpenAI and Claude from Anthropic the same Android system permissions as Gemini.

The current imbalance is quite evident: Gemini can deeply integrate Android’s voice activation, system search, and cross-application communication at a low level, while external AI services are blocked outside the same gate. Sources indicate that the document is still a draft, and the timeline remains uncertain.

Mandatory openness obligations under the DMA framework

The EU’s action this time cites the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This regulatory framework, enacted in 2022 and fully effective by 2024, sets mandatory obligations for large tech platforms deemed “gatekeepers.” The core principle is: Their own services must not enjoy structural advantages that external services do not have.

The report states that the European Commission officially launched two DMA programs on January 27 this year. The first, under DMA Article 6(7), requires Google to provide third-party AI service providers with “free and effective” interoperability of Android hardware and software features; the second, under Article 6(11), mandates opening anonymized search data under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory conditions.

Bloomberg mentions that the upcoming preliminary investigation results are the next step of these programs. While still some distance from a formal investigation, they clearly outline the technical specifications expected from Google, including voice activation integration, access to specific search tools, and enabling competing AI applications to communicate with other Android software.

The timeline indicates that DMA compliance must be achieved within six months, with preliminary findings due within three months for Google’s response and public comment. On April 16, the European Commission issued a preliminary determination on search data sharing, attaching a 29-page technical specification document.

Google’s resistance logic and potential costs

Of course, Google won’t give up its moat easily. Earlier this year, when responding to the EU’s initiation of the process, Google expressed concerns that the requirements “could jeopardize user privacy, security, and innovation.”

This stance is backed by specific technical context: Android’s low-level APIs and voice recognition pipelines have long been restricted from third-party access for security reasons. Any forced opening would mean a redesign of the architecture.

The report also notes that Google has long argued that DMA “discriminates against American companies,” aligning with the White House to pressure the EU. Current U.S. President Trump has also publicly criticized DMA as unfair. However, actual enforcement records show that EU fines for Google have totaled nearly €9.5 billion, and the stance on compliance remains firm despite political pressures.

Bloomberg points out that if Google fails to comply within the deadline, the EU can initiate formal investigation procedures, with the maximum fine potentially reaching 10% of Google’s global annual revenue. Based on Alphabet’s projected revenue exceeding $350 billion in 2025, this could amount to as much as $35 billion.

The reshaping impact on the AI assistant market

This event reveals a broader competitive landscape: Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude are vying for dominance as the entry point for mobile AI assistants, with system-level integration on Android being a key factor in user retention.

Android’s global market share exceeds 70%, covering over 3 billion active devices. If ChatGPT and Claude can achieve the same level of voice wake-up and application integration as Gemini, it would mean that OpenAI and Anthropic both gain access to the underlying layer of the world’s largest mobile platform.

This is not just an antitrust case; it marks the beginning of the next AI entry war.