Why Apple Is Backing Google on EU Android Regulations
Apple has taken the unusual step of publicly backing Google in its clash with European regulators over new EU Android regulations for AI. At the heart of the dispute are draft measures under the Digital Markets Act that would force Google to grant rival AI services the same deep access to Android that its Gemini assistant enjoys. That means third-party AI tools could initiate emails, interact with photo apps, or place food orders directly, rather than staying sandboxed. For Google, this order is about how far regulators can go in dictating AI service access on its own operating system. Apple, which runs its own platforms and faces similar scrutiny, sees the case as a test of how far governments can push platform interoperability mandates into the core design of mobile operating systems.
Privacy and Security at the Center of Apple–Google Concerns
Both companies argue that mandated AI service access risks undermining hard‑won privacy and security protections. Google’s counsel has warned that giving external AI assistants full Android privileges could erode “critical privacy and security” for European users, as these systems would gain the ability to act inside sensitive apps used for communications, photos, and transactions. Apple’s submission echoes this, calling the draft measures “urgent and serious concerns” that could create “profound risks for user privacy, security, and safety as well as device integrity and performance.” The companies stress that AI systems remain unpredictable, with evolving capabilities and threat vectors that are not fully understood. In their view, forcing open, unfettered access to core OS functions effectively lowers the guardrails that currently prevent malicious or careless AI behavior, raising the stakes for data protection and device reliability.
Regulators’ Push for Platform Interoperability and AI Competition
The European Commission’s goal is to keep the AI market open and competitive on smart mobile devices by enforcing platform interoperability. Under the Digital Markets Act, Google has been told to offer third‑party AI services the same level of Android access that Gemini enjoys and to share certain anonymized search data with rival engines. Regulators argue these measures give outside providers a fair opportunity to innovate and compete with dominant incumbents. In practice, this would allow external AI assistants to integrate deeply with Android apps and services, blurring the line between native and third‑party tools. To the Commission, restricting AI service access concentrates power in a few gatekeepers and risks locking users into closed ecosystems. The draft rules are therefore framed as a pro‑innovation, pro‑competition response to rapidly consolidating AI capabilities on mobile platforms.
A Rare Alliance and Its Implications for Global AI Rules
Apple’s support for Google highlights a rare alignment between fierce competitors when it comes to government‑mandated platform interoperability. Apple has long resisted the Digital Markets Act, including requirements to allow third‑party app marketplaces, and it openly acknowledges a strong interest in how the Android case is resolved. If regulators can dictate deep AI integration on Android, similar pressure could follow for other platforms, including Apple’s own devices. The dispute therefore doubles as a global test case for AI governance: whether regulators can redesign aspects of operating systems, and how far they can go in compelling access for rival AI models. Apple has already signaled that it may voluntarily open Apple Intelligence to competing AI models in future iOS releases, but on its own terms. The eventual outcome is likely to influence how governments worldwide balance competition, privacy, and security in AI service regulation.