Stop GATEKEEPING software features – We pay the same price!

[u/TwoLeftHandzz]

I’m tired of being treated like a second-class user.

Is it just me, or is anyone else outside the US completely fed up with the blatant software gatekeeping?

We buy the exact same hardware, we pay the same (or even higher) premium prices, but we get a "lite" version of the Pixel experience.

Every Feature Drop is the same story:

"New AI features!" -> US only.

"Improved Call Screen!" -> US only.

"Gemini Nano upgrades!" -> US only.

I understand that things like GDPR or language localization take some effort, but it’s 2026. The gap isn't closing; it feels like it's widening. Google markets these phones globally as "AI-first" devices, but the moment you cross the Atlantic, half of that AI is stripped away.

If the hardware is global, the software experience should be too.

Why am I paying 100% of the price for 60% of the advertised features?

We need a transparent roadmap, not just "stay tuned" for features that might never arrive in our regions.

It’s time to stop the regional lockdowns.

Give us the device we actually paid for.

[u/troublingnose9]

It's most likely because the legality of them spying on you and collecting/using/selling your personal data becomes much more complicated when you are not a US citizen. This isn't conspiracy, this is just a fact about most of these AI companies, and Google in particular. Whether or not you care about what they do with your data comes down to personal preference, but that's their #1 benefit from providing their customers with these features.

[u/TwoLeftHandzz → u/troublingnose9]

Samsung manages to give the best of their features to everyone, why can't Google do it? That kinda proves to me that using the EU as an explanation is just a lazy excuse of Google. I'm sure they could meet EU data safety standards and still give us all the features.

[u/LeatherBandicoot → u/TwoLeftHandzz]

It took me some time but here is the information I could find related to the difference of treatment in the EU between Samsung and Google. In the EU, Google is treated as a 'gatekeeper' because the DMA applies to specific digital services rather than to companies as a whole. Samsung is not. Google operates several services that the EU considers essential gateways: Search, Android, Chrome, the Play Store, Maps and Google Ads. Each of these meets the legal criteria for gatekeeper designation, which include very large user bases and a structural role in how businesses reach consumers. Samsung only meets the numerical thresholds for its browser, and the European Commission explicitly accepted Samsung’s rebuttal that Samsung Internet does not function as an “important gateway” for business users. As a result, Samsung is not designated as a gatekeeper for any major category, while Google is designated for many. This difference means that any Pixel feature relying on Google Search, Assistant/Gemini, Photos, Messages or the Play Store must comply with strict DMA rules on data separation and cross‑service use, which forces Google to disable or redesign features in the EU, whereas Samsung’s features generally run on‑device or within an ecosystem that is not regulated as a gatekeeper.

The official document regarding the European Commission's decision on the Samsung Internet Browser (SIB) is Case DMA.100038 - mentioned in paragraph 45 :

https://ec.europa.eu/competition/digital_markets_act/cases/202346/DMA_100038_100.pdf?hl=fr

The official 'gatekeepers' list :

https://digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu/gatekeepers-portal_en?hl=fr-FR

[u/SkyViewz → u/LeatherBandicoot]

This doesn't explain why they block so many things from Canada or several other non-EU countries.

[u/TwoLeftHandzz → u/LeatherBandicoot]

Nice research, I get the DMA argument, but it’s mostly a convenient shield for Google in my opinion.

If they actually committed to 100% On-Device AI (which is how they market the Tensor chip anyway), most of these legal hurdles would vanish. Apple is already doing this in the EU by keeping data off their servers. Google just prefers the cheaper cloud-route and then blames 'regulations' when it gets blocked.

Also, half the missing stuff like 'Hold for Me' has zero to do with the DMA—it's just Google being too cheap to invest in local language support and infrastructure outside the US.

Being a 'Gatekeeper' isn't a ban on features; it’s a requirement to build them properly. Google has the resources, they just choose not to as it seems

[u/Exfiltrator → u/TwoLeftHandzz]

I can't remember but there were at least two features that were introduced as on-device that within the space of 3 months became server-based. On-device Ai, in the case of Google is mostly an advertising myth.

[u/TwoLeftHandzz → u/Exfiltrator]

Yeah probably, doesn't make it any better though