Today, the European Union ordered Google to give its AI rivals greater access to Android, the open source operating system that powers billions of devices worldwide. The demand is not surprising. It may look like a defeat on paper for Google, which has spent years directly resisting this kind of access, but it’s a legal victory. It’s also a sign that Google may be beating Apple by playing Brussels’ regulatory game more smartly.
In one of two rulings issued on Thursday, the European Commission – the EU’s top arm and the main creator of the bloc’s competition rules – said Google must provide its rival AI assistants with the same kind of system features and data access that Google’s Gemini offers. The directive stems from the European Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires prominent platforms designated as “gatekeepers” to grant competitors access to certain systems and data comparable to what is available on their services.
Worse, Google has until July 2027 to make those changes, giving it nearly a year to continue expanding Gemini, negotiate technical details with the EU, and shape how its rivals will eventually connect to Android. The company may challenge the decision in court, although it has not said publicly that it plans to do so and declined to comment on the record if The Verge he asked.
Although Google has made it clear that it prefers not to open up its systems at all — arguing that it puts users’ safety, security, and privacy at risk — that year-long runway includes an already existing profit. Gemini is already deeply integrated into Android and often ships as the default AI assistant on many devices, giving Google more time to solidify its position before competitors like OpenAI and Anthropic gain comparable levels of access.
Google’s strategy for shipping first and negotiating with regulators later is very different from Apple’s. When Apple announced its long-awaited Siri AI assistant last month, it made a big point that the feature would not launch in Europe because of DMA.
As with Android, the Commission said Apple would need to give third-party assistants equal access to key systems, features, and data to those of Siri AI. Apple argued that doing so would be “reckless” and create unacceptable privacy and security risks. The company said it has asked the Commission for 18 months to develop a harmonized version and introduce the necessary cooperation “gradually”. The Commission rejected that proposal.
Apple has yet to publicly say whether, however, it plans to bring Siri AI to the EU and has yet to respond. The Vergerequest for comment. Google, on the other hand, recently secured the Gemini grace period that Apple wanted with Siri AI: time to be compatible with DMA while its AI assistant remained on the market.
The difference may reflect in part where each company’s AI assistant stands when the DMA begins to shape product decisions. Gemini has been the main pillar of Google’s AI strategy for many years and is widely distributed in the company’s product ecosystem, giving Google a strong incentive to stay in the market and find compliance with any regulations later. Apple, meanwhile, introduced its new Siri AI recently and chose to keep it in the EU, despite years of anticipating DMA requirements during product development.
Apple has also chosen to turn the absence of Siri AI into a political weapon, apparently hoping that the court of public opinion will be in its favor and pressure Brussels to relax the cooperation requirements. It has done so publicly and repeatedly, taking the unusual step of devoting part of its WWDC 2026 keynote to explaining why Siri AI will not come to Europe, publishing a specific blog post titled “Due to DMA, Siri AI is delayed in the EU with iOS 27 and iPadOS 27,” and holding press conferences on the matter. It relayed the news that China was missing out on Siri AI with a one-sentence caption. All of this served to cast Brussels, not Apple’s product choice, as the reason for the delay.
It is also possible that the breakup is less important after it becomes public. Google and Apple both strongly oppose DMA interoperability demands, citing threats to privacy, security, and product integrity. The two companies have also worked together on integrating Gemini into Apple’s AI products, including Siri AI, making it clear that they are constantly communicating while exploring different ways to combat the same set of limitations.
However, for now the difference is obvious. Google has a year to bring Android into compliance while continuing to expand Gemini. Brussels denied Apple this type of runway, and who knows when Siri AI will arrive in the EU.
