Google Outshines Apple in Navigating AI Regulations

The European Union has mandated that Google provide its AI competitors with enhanced access to Android, the open-source operating system that powers billions of devices globally. While this may seem like a setback for Google, which has long resisted such access, it actually represents a regulatory victory. It also suggests that Google has navigated the regulatory landscape more adeptly than Apple.

In a recent ruling, the European Commission, the EU’s executive body responsible for enforcing competition laws, stated that Google must offer rival AI assistants the same system features and data access that it provides to its own Gemini AI. This directive is part of Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires dominant platforms labeled as “gatekeepers” to grant competitors access to essential systems and data on par with their own services.

Importantly, Google has until July 2027 to implement these changes, giving it about a year to further develop Gemini, negotiate technical specifics with the EU, and determine how its competitors will integrate with Android. The company could also opt to challenge the ruling in court, although it has not publicly indicated any plans to do so.

Google has expressed a preference to keep its systems closed, citing concerns over user safety, security, and privacy. However, this additional time provides a significant advantage. Gemini is already well-integrated into Android and often comes preinstalled as the default AI assistant on many devices, allowing Google to bolster its position before rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic can gain similar access.

Google’s approach of launching products first and negotiating with regulators later contrasts sharply with Apple’s strategy. When Apple introduced its new Siri AI assistant recently, it emphasized that the feature would not be available in Europe due to the DMA.

Similar to Android, the Commission stated that Apple must provide third-party assistants with comparable access to key systems, features, and data as Siri AI. Apple contended that complying with this requirement would be “irresponsible” and pose unacceptable privacy and security risks. The company requested 18 months to develop a compliant version and implement the necessary interoperability gradually, but the Commission rejected this proposal.

Currently, Apple has not disclosed a timeline for when, or if, it will launch Siri AI in the EU, and it did not respond to inquiries. In contrast, Google has secured the grace period for Gemini that Apple sought for Siri AI, allowing it to comply with the DMA while keeping its AI assistant available in the market.

This disparity may reflect the different stages of each company’s AI assistant when the DMA began influencing product strategies. Gemini has been a cornerstone of Google’s AI efforts for years and is widely integrated across its product ecosystem, incentivizing Google to remain active in the market while addressing compliance later. Apple, on the other hand, recently introduced Siri AI and opted to withhold it from the EU, despite having ample time to prepare for the DMA’s requirements.

Apple has also leveraged Siri AI’s absence as a political tool, seemingly hoping to sway public opinion and pressure the EU to ease interoperability mandates. The company has publicly emphasized this issue, dedicating part of its WWDC 2026 keynote to explaining Siri AI’s absence in Europe, publishing a blog post titled “Due to DMA, Siri AI delayed in EU for iOS 27 and iPadOS 27,” and holding media briefings on the topic. It even noted that China would miss out on Siri AI in a footnote, framing Brussels as the reason for the delay rather than its own product decisions.

It’s possible that the apparent divide between the two companies is less pronounced behind the scenes. Both Google and Apple oppose the DMA’s interoperability requirements, viewing them as threats to privacy, security, and product integrity. They have also collaborated on integrating Gemini into Apple’s AI products, including Siri AI, suggesting ongoing communication as they explore different strategies to address the same regulatory challenges.

For now, the contrast is clear: Google has a year to align Android with the DMA while continuing to enhance Gemini, whereas Apple has not been granted a similar timeline, leaving the future of Siri AI in the EU uncertain.