EU orders Alphabet’s Google to open Android features and anonymized search data to AI rivals under Digital Markets Act

The European Commission has issued an order aimed at Alphabet’s Google that would require the company to open up key Android capabilities and provide access to anonymized search data to rival AI developers, according to a report carried by Yahoo Finance. The move is tied to the Digital Markets Act, the EU’s competition and platform regulation framework designed to reduce gatekeeper power held by large digital companies.

Under the decision described in the report, Google would have to provide legally binding interoperability, meaning rival services would be able to work with the relevant Android functionality rather than being forced to rely solely on Google’s own systems. The order also includes data access obligations, specifically access to anonymized search data rather than raw personal information, though the scope and implementation details were not laid out in the account.

The Digital Markets Act has focused on ensuring that dominant platform operators do not unfairly limit competitors’ ability to reach users or build services that depend on platform access. In this case, the EU is targeting both a major distribution channel, Android, and a major input for AI systems, search-derived indicates. Search data can help train and improve AI models, even when anonymized, by providing a broader view of how people interact with online content and queries.

For Google, the Android and search ecosystem is central to monetization and product engagement. Android provides the operating system layer for a large share of mobile devices, while Google Search and its indexing infrastructure are foundational to many AI use cases that connect queries to information. Opening interfaces and sharing anonymized data with AI rivals could affect how competitors design assistants, retrieval systems, and search-adjacent features in Europe.

The Yahoo Finance report frames the order as an EU action meant to let AI developers build on top of Google’s platform rather than work around closed access. That would represent a compliance shift from more traditional approaches where competitors rely on published APIs or partnerships. Instead, the emphasis on interoperability and data access suggests the Commission expects concrete, enforceable mechanisms.

Regulatory outcomes under the Digital Markets Act can also reshape negotiating leverage. Once the EU sets a binding obligation, companies typically have to implement changes and may face further scrutiny if the Commission or other stakeholders argue the changes are incomplete or do not perform as required.

It was not clear from the report how quickly Google would be required to comply, whether the order includes specific timelines or technical standards, or which exact Android features and which categories of anonymized search data would be covered. The report also did not detail the enforcement path, such as inspection and penalty procedures, or provide language on how the EU will measure whether interoperability is sufficient for rival AI developers.