What Google Filed On 29 September
On 29 September 2026 Google said it had filed appeals at the General Court of the European Union against two Digital Markets Act decisions the European Commission adopted on 16 July. One orders Google to share search data with rival search engines, the other to open Android to rival AI assistants.
Google's case, as reported by Euronews and Yahoo Finance, is that Android is already open to other services, that the search-data order lacks adequate safeguards, user awareness and consent, and that giving elevated permissions to apps outside the phone maker's vetting process would threaten device integrity. Oliver Bethell, Google's senior director for competition, said the decisions would weaken vital security protections on Android.
The Commission said it will defend the decisions and that the measures already account for security and personal data protection. Its July press release says specification decisions are legally binding, remain subject to independent judicial scrutiny and carry no fines, because they do not assess whether the gatekeeper has complied.
What The Android Order Actually Requires
The Commission's question-and-answer page groups the Android measures into four themes. Invocation means starting an assistant through the home button or an always-on hotword, which can no longer be reserved for Google services. Context means access to on-device app data, sensor and screen inputs and proactive suggestions, with user consent.
Actions means letting an assistant carry out tasks inside other apps, through structured app functions, screen automation and system settings. Resources means equal access to on-device models and the same background execution that Google's own apps get. Google must provide all of it free of charge, on Android devices from other manufacturers too, with documentation, testing and technical help, and without conditioning access on holding a default role.
For five sensitive features Google may set objective eligibility conditions on privacy, security and integrity, with independent third parties certifying that an app meets them. The five are screen automation, structured on-device integration, system integration, centralised access to app data and context-aware intelligence.
The Dates In The Commission's Own Text
The decisions put hard dates on both orders, and the Commission's question-and-answer page is the only source that sets out the Android steps in full.
| Date | What the Commission requires |
|---|---|
| January 2027 | Google starts sharing search data with eligible providers |
| 1 February 2027 | Google publishes draft eligibility terms for the sensitive features |
| 1 May 2027 | Final terms published and certification applications open |
| Android 18, by 1 August 2027 at the latest | Android interoperability measures implemented |
| Android 19, by 1 August 2028 at the latest | Concurrent hotword detection for several assistants |
The press release says users start benefitting from the Android changes as of July 2027, while the question-and-answer page ties the deadline to the next major release, Android 18, and 1 August 2027 at the latest. Certification assessments must be finished within four weeks of an application, and Google must report to the Commission on progress over the next two years.
None of the reports we reviewed says the appeals suspend any of these dates. The Commission's text still sets them, so treat them as live until a court or the Commission says otherwise.
What It Means For App And Device Businesses
If you publish an Android app, your app becomes something other assistants can act on. The Commission says apps can choose which tasks to expose, such as send a message, create a note or schedule a meeting, and that developers whose apps are used by assistants gain engagement and discoverability. Decide now which tasks you would expose, how you would log them and what a user must confirm.
If you make Android devices, the Commission says you stay free to customise, pre-install apps, set defaults in the first-run experience and keep your branding, as long as changes do not impede interoperability. Google cannot shift the implementation work onto you, and voice activation only concerns devices that already have the necessary chip. Ask your Google contact how Android 18 certification will reach you.
The Commission puts roughly 60 percent of EU mobile users on Android, which is why this order is about distribution rather than features. Write both outcomes into your plan: the dates may hold, or a court may change the measures, and the cheap preparation is the same either way.
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