EU forces Alphabet to open 11 Android features, including wake word detection, to rival AI assistants

Wait, is this only about the EU? Is that going to be the next 'in mice' joke for tech wins?

App installation is still locked down. Can we get the EU to force Google to open that up too while they're at it?

Not sure how this connects to the keepandroidopen.org campaign, seems separate from that effort.

Here are the actual 11 features from the decision. My favorite is structured on-device integration, item 6, which lets third party AI services trigger actions like send a message or create a note inside Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Maps, YouTube, Messages and Phone through App Functions, no longer reserved for Gemini only. Screen automation, item 7, lets AI services imitate user behavior in a separate virtual display to complete multi-step tasks with consent.

This is basically Stallman's four freedoms playing out in real time. The DSP based always-on wake word thing sounds small but it matters a lot for elderly users who rely on voice commands like 'call Daniel' when they're stuck and scared, and gatekeeping that is straight out of Microsoft's old embrace-extend-extinguish playbook.