Google appeals EU DMA orders to open Android and share search data

Google has appealed two European Commission decisions under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) at the EU General Court in Luxembourg. The orders, issued in July, would require the company to open Android to rival AI assistants and to share search data with competing search providers.

What the Commission demands

The first order concerns Android. Within 12 months, Google must let users activate their preferred AI assistant by voice, including services other than its own Gemini. The second requires Google to give eligible third-party search engines and AI chatbots access to the query, ranking, click and view data it collects at scale, with a January 2027 deadline. The Commission says this will help smaller rivals compete with Google Search.

Google's argument: privacy and security

Oliver Bethell, Google's senior director for competition, said the company is contesting both decisions. "We're appealing decisions that will force us to share people's private search history without sufficient anonymisation and weaken vital security protections on Android," he said. Bethell added that people use Search for their most personal questions, from medical worries to close relationships, and that sharing such queries without adequate safeguards would cause irreversible harm to user privacy.

The Commission's response and what happens next

The Commission says the July measures include protections for user privacy and device security. Search data would be anonymised before being shared, and Google could assess whether a recipient posed a serious security or data-protection risk. Henna Virkkunen, the EU's executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, has said the aim is greater choice of services in the EU.

Google counters that Android is already open to other services and that the search-data requirement lacks adequate safeguards, user awareness and consent. An appeal does not automatically suspend the orders, and the deadlines stand unless a court pauses them; according to Bloomberg, Google is weighing a separate suspension request. The DMA sets rules for large digital platforms, with fines of up to 10% of global annual revenue, or 20% for repeat infringements. In July the Commission also fined Google about $1 billion in a separate case.