E.U. Orders Google to Open Android Mic, Camera and Screen to Rival AI Assistants

Summary: The European Commission adopted two binding specification decisions on 16 July under the Digital Markets Act, ordering Google to give rival AI assistants the same Android access Gemini has - camera, microphone, screen contents, a wake word that works with the display off, and background app control - in Android 18 by 1 August 2027. The second decision requires Google to hand anonymised Search query, click and ranking data to rival search engines and AI chatbots for a cost-based fee, with Android covering around 60% of European mobile users and 11 operating system features in scope.
What's compelling: Six of those features - including continuous background microphone, camera and screen access under the same light consent prompts Google's own services get - carry no certification requirement and are open to any user-installed app, while Google itself writes the security test that certified assistants must pass. Google's Kent Walker says the decision 'threatens device security by granting external apps sensitive and powerful device permissions,' and the article notes SafeBreach hijacked Gemini's own Android Utilities agent through notification content alone, with no malicious app on the device.

Read the original at The Hacker News ↗