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In an unusual turn of events, Apple is defending Google against the European Commission. The backdrop to this is Brussels' plans to open Android to competing AI services. In an official statement, Apple warns of significant risks to data privacy, security, and device integrity – and questions the Commission's own technical expertise.
Apple has submitted a statement to the European Commission's consultation process regarding measures surrounding the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The Commission had put forward proposals that would require Google to open Android to competing AI services. Apple sees this as a fundamental threat – and is siding with a company with which it otherwise competes in many areas. The case is particularly sensitive because Apple itself has been increasingly at odds with EU regulators for years and has repeatedly warned of the consequences of widespread platform opening (via Reuters).
What the specific proceedings are about
Between April 27 and May 13, 2026, the European Commission sought feedback on draft measures designed to compel Google to comply with the Digital Markets Act. Specifically, the measures would allow competing AI providers to control Android apps to perform tasks such as sending emails, ordering food, or sharing photos. Google has already publicly objected to the plans, arguing that the requirements would undermine key security and privacy mechanisms for European users.
Apple has now entered the proceedings with its own statement. The company explains that it has a strong vested interest because similar regulations could also affect its own operating systems for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. The draft measures, should they be confirmed in their current form, would create "profound risks to data privacy, user security and safety, as well as device integrity and performance.".
Apple's main criticism: AI risks and lack of Brussels expertise
The company is particularly clear on the topic of AI. Apple argues that the risks are especially pronounced in the context of rapidly evolving AI systems – the capabilities, behaviors, and threat vectors of such systems remain unpredictable. Forced access to Android functions by external AI services increases the attack surface and makes it difficult to assess the impact over time.
Also noteworthy is the direct attack on the Commission's expertise. Apple writes that Brussels is substituting the assessments of Google's own engineers with its own evaluation based on less than three months of work. The only discernible goal of the proposals is "open and unrestricted access." It is rare to read such pointed criticism of an EU authority from a regulated company.
Why is Apple even getting involved?
At first glance, it seems odd that Apple, of all companies, is publicly defending Google. However, the reason is quite practical: Apple itself has faced similar demands for years. The company challenged the DMA in court back in the fall of 2025 and has repeatedly advocated for a fundamental overhaul of the rules ever since. An ongoing dispute over App Store pricing and the DMA's impact demonstrates how closely Apple links this issue to its own business strategy.
Furthermore, if the EU forces Google today to open Android features to external AI services, identical demands could be made of iOS tomorrow. From Apple's perspective, the Google case is therefore a precedent. The company has recently restricted or delayed features in the EU on several occasions to comply with DMA regulations, without, in its view, compromising security and data privacy. A further escalation of Brussels' demands would put Apple in a similar predicament to the one Google is currently facing.
What happens next
The consultation period ended on May 13, 2026. The European Commission has announced that it will carefully examine all comments and adjust the proposed measures if necessary. A final decision must be made within six months of the procedure being opened. Until then, it remains to be seen how far the final regulations will actually go and whether the arguments of Apple and Google will have any impact.
Realistically, a partial adjustment is more likely than a complete withdrawal. The Commission has shown in the past that it fundamentally supports the DMA and enforces it rigorously. How much leeway it grants Google, and thus indirectly Apple, will become clear in the coming months.
Technology beats politics
The statement marks a rare moment in which Apple and Google are marching in parallel in Brussels. Both companies view the planned AI opening as a technological risk that Brussels cannot adequately assess from a regulatory perspective. Strategically, Apple's move is not motivated by solidarity, but by self-interest: what affects Google today could affect iOS tomorrow. This increasingly shifts the DMA conflict from an app store dispute to a fundamental question of how deeply regulation should be allowed to intervene in the technical architecture of modern platforms.
From my perspective, the DMA's track record so far is sobering. The regulations were created with the promise of more competition and lower prices. What users in Europe are experiencing instead are delayed or completely missing features, new attack vectors through sideloading, and a patchwork of regional special regulations. Brussels is forcing corporations to dismantle their own security architectures without providing viable solutions to the consequences. Apple's current crackdown on Google is therefore less a PR stunt than a logical consequence of a policy that consistently prioritizes political ambitions over technical realities.
What remains of the EU AI initiative
The dispute over opening Android to AI providers is more than just a technical detail in the implementation of the DMA (Data Access Management). It determines how far European regulators can intervene in the security architecture of global platforms – and whether corporations like Apple and Google will have to make compromises in areas where they have previously drawn their strength from closed systems. Apple's statement is therefore less a signal to Google than a preemptive shot at Brussels. And it indicates that the costs of the DMA logic are borne not only by the corporations, but above all by European users. (Image: Shutterstock / Andy.LIU)
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