Google is better at playing this game

today, Request EU Google To give its AI competitors greater access to Android, the open source operating system that powers billions of devices around the world. The request is Hardly surprising. On paper, it may look like a defeat for the outspent Google Years of resistance Exactly that kind of access, but it’s an organizational win. It’s also a sign that Google may have outmaneuvered Apple by playing Brussels’ regulatory game smarter.

In one of two Decisions The European Commission — the EU’s executive arm and the main enforcer of the bloc’s competition rules — said Thursday that Google must grant rival AI assistants the same kind of system features and access to data that it grants Google’s Gemini. The system originates from Europe Digital Markets Law (DMA), which requires dominant platforms to be designated as “gatekeepers” to give competitors access to certain systems and data similar to what is available to their own services.

Importantly, Google has until July 2027 to make these changes, giving it roughly a year to continue expanding Gemini, negotiate technical details with the EU, and shape how its competitors will eventually deliver on Android. The company could also appeal the decision in court, although it has not commented publicly whether it plans to do so and declined to comment on the record when… Edge inquire.

While Google has I explained It prefers not to open its systems at all — arguing that it risks compromising users’ safety, security, and privacy — and that a year-long runway increases an already significant advantage. Gemini is already deeply integrated into Android and is often pre-installed as the default AI assistant on many devices, giving Google more time to consolidate its position before competitors like OpenAI and Anthropic gain similar levels of access.

Google’s strategy of shipping first and negotiating with regulators later is in stark contrast to Apple’s. When apple Announce The long-awaited Siri AI assistant last month made a great point in saying that this feature would It was not released in Europe due to DMA.

As with Android, the commission said Apple would need to give third-party assistants similar access to key systems, features and data to that of Siri AI. Apple said doing so “would be irresponsible” and create unacceptable privacy and security risks. The company said it had asked the Commission for 18 months to build a compatible version and introduce the required interoperability on a “gradual rolling” basis. The committee rejected this proposal.

Apple still has no public timeline for when or even if it plans to bring Siri AI to the EU and has not responded. EdgeRequest for comment. Meanwhile, Google got the grace period for Gemini that Apple wanted for Siri AI: time to comply with the DMA while its AI assistant remains on the market.

The discrepancy may partly reflect the position of each company’s AI assistant when the DMA began to shape product decisions. Gemini has been a mainstay of Google’s AI strategy for years and has been widely distributed across the company’s product ecosystem, giving Google a strong incentive to stay in the market and figure out compliance with any laws later. Meanwhile, Apple recently unveiled its new Siri AI and chose to withhold it from the EU, even though it had years to anticipate DMA requirements while designing the product.

Apple has also chosen to turn the absence of Siri AI into a political weapon, hoping that the court of public opinion will find in its favor and pressure Brussels to relax interoperability requirements. She did so publicly and repeatedly, taking the unusual step of setting aside part of her estate WWDC 2026 Main Conference To explain why Siri AI isn’t coming to Europe, he published a pointed article Blog post Titled “Due to DMA, Siri AI Delayed in EU for iOS 27 and iPadOS 27,” he held media briefings on the issue. Breaking news that China has lost Siri AI through a One-sentence footnote. All of this has highlighted Brussels, not Apple’s product choices, as the reason for the delay.

It is also possible that the division behind the scenes is less significant than it appears publicly. Both Google and Apple strongly oppose DMA interoperability requirements, seeing them as threats to privacy, security, and product integrity. The two companies have also worked together to integrate Gemini into Apple’s AI products, including Siri AI, making it plausible that they have stayed in touch while exploring different ways to combat the same set of limitations.

But the difference is stark right now. Google has a year to make Android compatible while continuing to expand Gemini. Brussels has denied Apple that kind of runway, and who knows when Siri AI will arrive in the EU.