Commission sets Alphabet Android AI interoperability deadlines through August 2028

The European Commission published on 21 October 2026 a summary of its 16 July decision specifying measures that Alphabet must implement to provide third parties with effective interoperability on Google Android. Most measures must be implemented in Android 18 and no later than 1 August 2027. Concurrent hotword detection, allowing multiple assistants to be triggered by voice, must be implemented in Android 19 and no later than 1 August 2028.

The decision applies Article 6(7) of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires a gatekeeper to provide service and hardware providers, free of charge, with effective access to the same operating-system features available to or used by the gatekeeper. Alphabet was designated a gatekeeper for Google Android in September 2023. The decision says equal access to Android features is important for third-party AI services to compete with Alphabet’s services.

The Commission opened the specification proceedings on 27 January 2026 pursuant to Article 20(1) DMA. The decision was adopted pursuant to Article 8(2) DMA. The Commission received 53 public consultation contributions from business users, end users and device manufacturers, and obtained a positive opinion from the Digital Markets Advisory Committee on 15 July. Alphabet responded to the Commission’s preliminary findings on 26 May.

Features covered by the decision

The measures cover four groups of Android features.

Invocation. Alphabet must give third parties access to the long-press home button and navigation handle, which allow users to invoke an AI assistant and provide it with the current on-screen context. Users must also be able to customise other access points.

The decision also addresses always-on hotword detection, such as saying “Hey Assistant”. That feature is currently available only to some preinstalled apps. The decision specifies alternative solutions that would enable user-installed assistants to access it, with concurrent use of the feature due in Android 19 or by 1 August 2028.

Context. Alphabet must enable multiple assistants to use centralised access to data stored by apps on a device, subject to the consent of the relevant app and the user. Where Alphabet uses that feature to provide data from its apps to Gemini, it must provide the data to third parties as well.

The decision also requires equally effective third-party access to:

- context-aware intelligence, which supports continuous and proactive assistance;
- ambient data from sources such as microphones, cameras and speakers, including equivalent data quality, latency and user-consent flows.

Alphabet and device manufacturers currently have access to some of these functions that third parties do not.

Actions on apps and Android. Third-party assistants must receive equal access to structured on-device integration, allowing them to perform actions in other apps at a user’s request. This includes certain actions in Alphabet apps such as Gmail, YouTube and Maps through existing Android integration channels and subject to user consent.

Alphabet must also provide equally effective access to screen automation, which supports multi-step tasks carried out in the background, and to system integration. The latter allows an assistant to interact with Android itself, such as changing a setting or opening an app. Third-party assistants currently have access only to a reduced set of system integrations.

Access to resources. Alphabet must give third parties equal access to all of its system-level on-device AI models that are available to Alphabet’s own services. On-device processing can provide lower latency, offline availability and privacy benefits.

The decision also requires equal access to the functions needed to implement and use on-device models, including hardware resources, background execution and the ability to make models available to other apps. Background execution must be provided under transparent, objective, precise and non-discriminatory rules.

Safeguards and implementation control

The decision permits Alphabet to apply security, privacy and operating-system integrity safeguards. For particularly sensitive features, it may restrict access to third parties that meet specific eligibility criteria. The affected features are centralised access to on-device app data, context-aware intelligence, structured on-device integration, screen automation and system integration.

Alphabet remains responsible for choosing the technical implementation. The decision specifies the measures needed for effective interoperability but leaves the concrete implementation solutions under Alphabet’s control. It also requires access to future feature updates and imposes reporting duties so the Commission can monitor timely and effective compliance.

The first deadline is tied to the next major Android release, identified in the decision as Android 18, and in any event is 1 August 2027. The concurrent hotword requirement is tied to Android 19 and in any event is due by 1 August 2028.