August 2, 2026
Hey Google, share the toys
A big win for Android interoperability
EU tells Google to share Android’s secret goodies — and commenters want even more
TLDR: The EU has ordered Google to open key Android features so other voice assistants can finally compete more fairly. Commenters cheered the win, joked that Europe is where all the good tech changes happen, and immediately demanded even bigger crackdowns on Google’s control.
Plot twist: Europe just told Google it can’t keep some of Android’s best tricks to itself. The European Commission, using the Digital Markets Act — an EU law meant to stop giant tech companies from unfairly locking down their platforms — has ordered Alphabet to open up 11 Android features to rival assistants on equal terms. That includes things like always-listening voice activation, sensor access, and screen controls. The push came after Home Assistant said its community had spent three years trying to make a hands-free voice feature work properly, only to keep running into walls Google didn’t have to face.
And the comments? Oh, they came in swinging. One of the funniest reactions instantly turned the whole thing into a meme: “Is ‘in the EU’ the new ‘in mice’?” — a perfect jab at how tech wins can sound amazing until you realize they may only apply in Europe. Others were less jokey and more greedy-in-a-good-way: if Europe made Google open this up, why stop there? One commenter basically said, great, now make app installation open again too. Another dropped the receipts with a link to the full list of the 11 features, while someone else wondered if this was tied to Keep Android Open.
The spiciest mood, though, was pure digital freedom sermon energy: one commenter invoked Stallman, warned that software can “own you,” and predicted Google will fight this instead of embracing openness. So yes, this is a policy story — but in the comments, it became a full-on battle between “huge win”, “too little”, and “Google’s absolutely not done resisting.”
Key Points
- •The article says the European Commission consulted stakeholders on Android interoperability under the EU Digital Markets Act.
- •On July 16, 2026, the European Commission adopted a decision requiring Alphabet to open 11 Android features to third-party assistants on equal terms.
- •The article names always-on wake word detection, ambient sensor access, and screen automation among the Android features covered by the decision.
- •Home Assistant had spent three years trying to implement always-on wake word detection in its Android Companion app for the “Okay Nabu” trigger.
- •Because third-party apps could not access Android’s DSP-based wake word system, Home Assistant used a CPU-based microWakeWord workaround that the article says increased battery use from about 1% to 15% and kept the microphone indicator on continuously.