Apple has joined Google in a fight with the European Union over how AI services should work on Android phones. The argument is around new rules under the Digital Markets Act that the EU law created to limit the power of large tech companies.
The European Commission wants Google to give rival AI assistants the same level of access to Android that Google’s own Gemini assistant already has. That access would allow outside AI services to interact with apps on a user’s phone, including email, food delivery and photo sharing apps.
So, What Exactly Is Going On?
According to Reuters, Apple backed Google’s criticism of those proposals and warned that opening Android in this way could create privacy and security problems for users. Apple submitted feedback to the European Commission before the May 13 deadline for comments on the draft rules.
Apple said in its filing, “The DMs (draft measures) raise urgent and serious concerns. If confirmed, they would create profound risks for user privacy, security, and safety as well as device integrity and performance.”
The company also said, “Those risks are especially acute in the context of rapidly evolving AI systems whose capabilities, behaviours, and threat vectors remain unpredictable as we are now seeing time and again.”
Google has already criticised the proposals publicly. Reuters reported that Google said the measures would weaken “critical privacy and security safeguards for European users.”
What Does The European Union Want From Google?
The European Commission says the Digital Markets Act is meant to create fair competition in digital markets. According to Engadget, regulators told Google in January that outside AI assistants should receive the same Android access as Google’s own systems.
The Commission also wants Google to hand over “anonymized ranking, query, click and view data held by Google Search” to rival search engines, according to Engadget.
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EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said the proposed measures would “give more choice to Android users about the AI services they use and integrate in their phone,” according to 9to5Mac.
The European Commission argues that this access would give rival AI companies “an equal opportunity to innovate and compete in the rapidly evolving AI landscape on smart mobile devices,” Engadget reported.
Google disagrees with that position and says the rules would weaken user protections and increase costs. Reuters reported that Google described the measures as an “unwarranted intervention.”
The Commission released draft rules in April and is expected to decide in July whether Google’s plans meet DMA requirements, according to 9to5Mac.
Why Is Apple Getting Involved In An Android Dispute?
Apple may not make Android phones, but it has its own reasons for paying attention. Reuters reported that Apple told regulators it has “a strong interest in the case” because the company also operates large software platforms through the iPhone, iPad and Mac.
The company has already faced pressure under the Digital Markets Act. Engadget reported that Apple has opposed DMA requirements forcing it to allow third party app marketplaces on its operating system.
Apple used its filing to question the European Commission’s technical judgment on Android. Reuters reported that Apple said, “The EC is redesigning an OS (operating system). It is substituting judgments made by Google’s engineers for its own judgment based on less than three months of work.”
Apple also wrote, “It is all the more dangerous given the only value that can be discerned from the DMs guiding this work appears to be open and unfettered access.”
9to5Mac reported that Apple argued regulators were replacing decisions made by Google engineers after years of Android development work.
The dispute now puts Apple and Google on the same side against European regulators, even though the two companies compete in smartphones and software services.
The battle essentially is based on who gets to control access to AI systems on mobile devices and how far regulators should go when forcing technology companies to open their platforms to rivals.
