Britain's competition regulator has intensified its push to force Google to give Android and Chrome users greater control over how they search the web, including through AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Perplexity.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published strengthened proposals on Wednesday that would require Google to ask users annually whether they want to keep or change their default search provider. The measures update rules first put forward in early 2026, with the regulator saying the revisions directly reflect how quickly the way people search for information is changing as AI assistants gain wider adoption.

Under the timetable set out by the CMA, the consultation closes on October 9, and a final decision on the search-choice requirement is expected by the end of the year.

What Google would have to change

Google would be required to present Android users with a list of available search services when they set up a phone, while Chrome users would see a similar choice the first time they launch the browser. The prompt would then reappear every year, giving users a recurring opportunity to switch their default. Those first-use moments are when defaults are set, which is why the choice screens sit at the center of the regulator's plan.

AI assistants could also appear on those choice screens if they meet the CMA's technical and security requirements. The revised proposal adds another obligation for providers that could make the list: clearly attributing publisher content, so users can see where information comes from and access the original source. For separate services such as ChatGPT and Perplexity, a slot on the screens would mean reaching users at the moment a default is chosen, rather than depending on people finding the tools on their own.

UK users can already change their search provider on Android Chrome, but the annual reminder would be an entirely new requirement.

Google wanted a different approach

Google had argued that showing users a search-choice screen every year could become frustrating. Instead, the company proposed a permanent option in device settings that would let people change their search provider whenever they wished. The CMA rejected that approach and retained the annual prompt in its revised proposals.

AI assistants also present a technical challenge, as they all operate differently. Google's Gemini is built into Google Search, while ChatGPT and Perplexity are separate services that would need to work differently and require custom integrations. How those integrations would function in practice remains to be settled alongside the final decision.

The latest step in the CMA's Google case

The search-choice proposal is the most recent move in the CMA's wider case against Google, which began in October 2025 after the regulator designated the tech giant as having strategic market status in general search and search advertising — the legal footing for the conduct requirements the CMA has imposed since.

The UK regulator already introduced other measures under the case, including publisher controls in June and subsequent requirements focused on fair ranking and data portability.

Industry groups have responded differently to the changes: the Professional Publishers Association has sought an exemption, while the News Media Association has warned that the measures could send less traffic to publishers. How the attribution requirement works in practice — and whether it addresses publishers' traffic concerns — is likely to stay part of the debate as the October 9 consultation deadline and the year-end decision approach.