EU Mandates Google to Open Android’s Mic, Camera, and Screen Access to Rival AI Assistants

The European Commission has ordered Google to provide rival AI assistants the same level of access to Android features currently available to its own Gemini assistant. This includes permissions to use the microphone, camera, on-screen content, background app control, and wake word activation even when the device display is off. Google must implement these changes in Android 18 by August 1, 2027.

What happened

On Thursday, the European Commission mandated that Google enable competing AI assistants to access critical Android device functionalities such as the microphone, camera, screen content, and the ability to interact with other apps in the background. Google's proprietary AI assistant, Gemini, currently enjoys these capabilities on Android devices. To comply, Google is required to update the Android platform to allow rival AI assistant apps to use these features by the release of Android 18, scheduled no later than August 1, 2027.

This directive aims to level the playing field among AI assistants on Android devices, ensuring that Google cannot limit access to these device features exclusively to its own AI services.

Why it matters

This development is significant because it directly impacts user privacy and device security paradigms by opening sensitive hardware features and system controls to third-party AI assistants previously restricted. The decision reflects regulatory efforts to foster competition and interoperability in AI services on widely used mobile platforms.

From a cybersecurity perspective, extending such deep access privileges to multiple AI assistants introduces potential new attack vectors and privacy considerations. Ensuring that only authorized applications have appropriate access will be critical to maintaining user trust and device security.

What security teams should do

Security teams and Android developers should begin assessing the implications of this expanded access for third-party AI assistants. They will need to review and enhance existing permission management frameworks and monitoring tools to detect potential misuse or unauthorized access to critical hardware such as the microphone and camera.

Preparing for this change also involves close collaboration with Google’s updates to Android 18, incorporating any new security controls or guidelines issued in response to this mandate. Organizations deploying AI assistants should maintain vigilant logging and auditing of accessory app behaviors once these capabilities become available.

Key technical details

The required capabilities to be extended to rival AI assistants include access to the device microphone and camera, the ability to read or interact with whatever is displayed on screen, and functionality to control other applications running in the background. This control mimics user inputs like taps and typing.

Additionally, these assistants will be permitted to activate via a wake word even when the device display is off, enabling a more seamless, always-listening user experience similar to Google's Gemini assistant. These features will be bundled into the next major Android update, Android 18, with a compliance deadline set for August 1, 2027.

Affected organizations/products

The order impacts all AI assistant developers targeting the Android platform, effectively standardizing access privileges across competing services. Android device users will see changes as AI assistants gain enhanced capabilities by the Android 18 release.

Google is the primary organization affected, tasked with implementing these feature access expansions within their operating system to comply with the European Commission’s directive.

Source attribution

https://thehackernews.com/2026/07/eu-orders-google-to-open-android-mic.html