Android AI – Apple says an EU push for rival AI firms to access Android raises privacy, security, and safety concerns. The EU plans a decision by July 2026.
A European Union proposal to loosen Android access for rival AI firms is drawing a sharp warning from Apple, with the company arguing it could expose users to privacy, security, and safety risks.
The dispute centers on the EU asking for responses to draft measures that would require Google to open up parts of its platform so that “any AI company” could use Google services.. In a submission to the EU seen as part of this consultation. Apple said the draft measures raise “urgent and serious concerns.”
Apple’s core worry is that third-party AI firms could. in theory. send emails or place food orders from Android “without Google’s or perhaps the user’s knowledge.” The company framed this as a problem that would not stay confined to one application or one feature. warning instead of broader effects on user privacy and the security posture of devices.
The company also tied the risk to device integrity and performance. suggesting that allowing broad access to platform functions could undermine how Android devices operate as intended.. In Apple’s view, these changes could affect both what users are protected from and how reliably their devices perform.
Apple further argued that the danger is heightened by how fast AI capabilities and behaviors are evolving.. It cautioned that threat vectors and system behavior can be unpredictable. pointing to what it described as repeated real-world examples where rapidly changing AI tools create new uncertainty for safeguards.
While Apple’s objections clearly align with protecting its own ecosystem. it also suggested the EU’s framing is specifically aimed at AI firms.. Apple noted that the EU’s proposals name AI companies in the first place. and it pointed to what it characterized as the poor quality and frequent errors seen in AI apps.
In the same submission. Apple acknowledged that the EU consultation process allows anyone to submit their view. and it implied that participants have their own strategic interests.. That reasoning. it said. matters because Apple is also concerned it could face similar pressure in its own iOS environment if the EU pushes the same model further.
At the same time. Apple brought up its own history with the Digital Markets Act. saying it has already invested what it described as “hundreds of thousands of engineering hours” to comply.. It used that experience to question whether the European Commission has enough technical expertise to redesign aspects of an operating system.
Apple’s argument sharpened around how the EU would execute changes: it described the commission as substituting judgments made by Google’s engineers with decisions based on what it characterized as fewer than three months of work.. Apple said this approach could be particularly risky. especially if the main practical effect of the draft measures is “open and unfettered access.”
Separate from the current consultation. Apple also pointed to what it described as the EU concluding in May 2026 that its DMA has had a positive impact. despite Apple’s earlier lobbying for revisions.. That backdrop is likely to intensify the broader question of whether the DMA’s remedies are being adjusted—or kept steady—while enforcement expands into more parts of the tech stack.
The timing of the next steps is tied to the consultation window, which ran from April 27, 2026 to May 13, 2026. Apple’s filing was submitted during that period, though the exact date of submission was not specified in the report.
The European Commission said it will “carefully assess” submissions from both Google and “interested parties.” It also indicated that the draft measures may be modified in response to what stakeholders submit.
Still, the Commission also set a deadline: its final decision must be adopted within six months of the opening of the specification proceedings. In this case, that pushes the decision date to July 27, 2026, when the EU’s position on Android access for rival AI firms is expected to become clearer.
For Android users. the dispute is ultimately about how much control platform owners—and users—retain when AI companies gain the ability to invoke services.. Apple’s warning suggests the fight is not only about competition or access. but about whether the EU’s approach could introduce new ways for actions to be triggered on devices while remaining opaque to users.
EU DMA Android AI access Apple warning Google services cybersecurity risks digital markets