Is Google’s Play Store monopoly over? US court orders tech giant to carry rival app stores

For the adjacent 3 years, Google has been ordered to fto users download third-party app stores done the Play Store app. The developers of these rival third-party app stores are to beryllium fixed entree to the afloat catalogue of Google Play apps truthful that they person “a warring accidental of getting disconnected the ground,” arsenic per the order.

While Google has said that it volition beryllium seeking a stay, Monday’s ruling marks the culmination of a four-year-long antitrust combat betwixt the Fortnite shaper and the large tech company. It besides means that Google could look genuine contention successful the Android app marketplace.

What does Google person to bash now?

From November 1, 2024 to November 1, 2027, Google has been ordered to fto apps usage their ain billing systems for in-app outgo purchases alternatively of Google Play Billing. Previously, the assemblage had recovered that tying the company’s outgo strategy to its app store was illegal.

The tribunal besides ordered Google to region its anti-steering provisions which prohibits app developers from linking to outer outgo options arsenic good arsenic informing users astir it.

Additionally, Google has to fto app developers pass users astir the availability and pricing of their apps extracurricular the Play Store, and the institution cannot halt them from providing users with a nexus to download the app extracurricular the Play Store (also known arsenic sideloading).

What is Google not allowed to bash anymore?

To forestall Google from making deals to support its dominance successful the app organisation market, the tribunal has prohibited the institution from offering app developers wealth oregon perks to exclusively motorboat their apps connected the Play Store.

It is besides not allowed to stock app gross with “with immoderate idiosyncratic oregon entity that distributes Android apps” oregon plans to motorboat an app store oregon app platform.

Notably, Google is nary longer allowed to ink deals with smartphone manufacturers similar Samsung for the Play Store app to beryllium pre-installed connected Android devices. Furthermore, the institution cannot connection instrumentality makers oregon carriers wealth truthful that they don’t pre-install rival app stores connected their devices.

During the hearings, Epic Games had argued that Google entered into agreements with assorted app developers, smartphone manufacturers, and carriers that made it intolerable for rival app stores to compete.

The assemblage was besides convinced that “Google entered into 1 oregon much agreements that unreasonably restrained commercialized successful a applicable antitrust market” including “agreements with OEMs [original instrumentality manufacturers] that merchantability mobile devices.”

What parts of the bid favoured Google?

The deadline to marque changes to the Play Store is 3 years, adjacent though Epic had initially sought a six-year timeframe from the court. Dismissing Epic’s argument, the justice said, “The provisions are designed to level the playing tract for the introduction and maturation of rivals, without burdening Google excessively.”

“As contention comes into play and the web effects that Google Play unfairly enjoys are abated, Google should not beryllium unduly constrained arsenic a competitor,” helium added.

On the menace of malicious apps making their mode to the Play Store, the tribunal said that Google is entitled to instrumentality tenable measures “to guarantee that the platforms oregon stores, and the apps they offer, are harmless from a machine systems and information standpoint.”

If Google’s takedown of an app is challenged, the determination is required to beryllium reviewed by a three-member Technical Committee comprising 1 Google typical and 1 Epic representative, some of whom volition prime the 3rd committee member.

The tribunal held that Google tin complaint a interest to app developers and app store owners for its policing efforts.

How did Google and Epic respond to the ruling?

Stating that it volition entreaty the ruling, Google said that the changes ordered to beryllium undertaken volition pb to “a scope of unintended consequences that volition harm American consumers, developers and instrumentality makers.”

“These Epic-requested changes stem from a determination that is wholly contrary to different court’s rejection of akin claims Epic made against Apple — adjacent though, dissimilar iOS, Android is an unfastened level that has ever allowed for prime and flexibility similar aggregate app stores and sideloading,” the institution said successful a blog post.

On the different hand, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said successful a station connected X, “The Epic Games Store and different app stores are coming to the Google Play Store successful 2025 successful the USA — without Google’s scare screens and Google’s 30% app taxation — acknowledgment to triumph successful Epic v Google.”

In 2020, Epic Games had sued some Google and Apple aft the developer’s fashionable crippled Fortnite had been booted from the Play Store and App Store for attempting to bypass the 15 to 30 per cent interest connected in-app purchases.

In the suit against Apple, the US tribunal had ruled successful favour of Apple connected astir counts. However, the iPhone shaper was ordered to disable its anti-steering rules and fto app developers archer users astir utilizing outer outgo systems.