Default search engine configuration, certification of third-party app stores, sideloading… When it comes to DMA compliance, Android remains a field with plenty of work still to be done.
The public version of Google’s latest “Transparency Report” offers a sense of the ongoing work.
More Options for the Default Search Engine
One of these initiatives aims to better align with Article 6(3). In broad terms, this requires allowing end users to modify the settings of the OS, the virtual assistant, and the web browser.
Google plans to add, within the default apps settings, an option to change the search engine. The choice will propagate to home screen widgets. At the same time, search engines will have a mechanism to ask users to set them as the default app.
Another item on the horizon: an update to the user journey that lets users switch the default assistant. The menu will include a screen to switch, another to adjust permissions… and a “clearer” presentation of privacy-related information.
Material from the Epic Games Case
Article 6(4) requires allowing the installation of third-party apps or third-party app stores.
On this front, Google is considering a certification program for marketplaces, charging “reasonable fees” for their publishers. It says it has not yet finalised the implementation details.
Another avenue: implementing changes to sideloading. Specifically, those Google committed to in the United States as part of its litigation with Epic Games. They reduce the number of screens required to authorize one app to load another. The details are still to be finalised.
AI-generated Summaries to Meet the DMA
Also in the works is a service developed with Apple to facilitate the switch between iOS and Android, and vice versa. It has been in beta since December 2025. In the background sits Article 6(9) of the DMA, which mandates data portability.
To address this, Google has two options: Takeout and the Data Portability API. The latter was enhanced in 2025 with, in particular:
- Integration of data from Pixel and Nest devices
- Participants can grant third parties time-limited access (30 or 180 days)
- Developers can filter exports by date ranges
Article 6(10) requires providing businesses with access to data generated through their use of DMA-subject services. In 2025, Google added, among other things, the count of openings and re-openings of YouTube Shorts (without a minimum viewing duration). In parallel, it integrated various “AI summaries” into the consoles of certain products, such as Google Play.
Subscriptions to Downloads: The External Offers Program Slowly Expands
Google Play continues to evolve to meet the requirements of Article 5(4), which notably requires allowing business users to enter into contracts outside the DMA-subject platforms.
Google’s answer is External Offers. This program targets developers who offer apps to users located in the European Economic Area (the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway). By joining, they are expected to be able to display links to negotiable offers on their own websites. In August 2025, the mechanism was rolled out for the purchase of subscriptions and integrated digital content. It was rolled out in December 2025 for app downloads.
Consent: Italy’s Commitments Scaled Up Across the EU
In 2025, Google advanced in aligning with another DMA article: 6(12). It requires providing fair access terms to business users of its search engine and its app store. This must include the establishment of an out-of-court dispute resolution mechanism. Entrusted to the CEDR (Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution, a London-based non-profit), it has been in place for Google Search since April 2025. It has been in place for Google Play since November 2024.
On the roadmap, there is also the implementation, across the EEA, of the commitments Google made to the Italian competition authority. Accepted in November 2025 following an inquiry, they aim to clarify the effects of consent—or lack thereof—for data sharing between its services.
