US Judge Orders Google to Open Android App Store
– 2 min read
A US judge has ruled in the case of Epic Games v Google. Google must open up its app store ecosystem on Android and allow third-party stores and external payment providers. Epic Games celebrates the ruling as a victory. Google has announced that it will appeal.
A US judge (James Donato) has issued his final ruling in Epic v. Google, a long-running antitrust case filed by Epic Games against Google. According to the ruling, Google's App Store (Google Play) is an illegal monopoly and this must change. Google must allow the distribution of competing third-party app stores within Google Play, while providing access to the full catalogue of Google Play apps, unless developers individually opt out.
In general, there should be more options for downloading apps outside of the Play Store. It will come into effect in the US as early as 1 November 2024, giving Google eight months to make the necessary changes. In addition, companies will no longer be forced to use Google Play Billing as their payment system, and external payment options outside of the Play Store will no longer be restricted. Google's exclusive deals to publish an app on the Play Store first will also no longer be possible. "Epic didn't quite get everything it asked for: it wanted the judge to crack open Google Play for six years, not three; allow users to sideload apps with a single tap; and for Google to stop being able to tie Android APIs to Google Play," The Verge states.
Epic Games had also taken Apple to court, but largely lost the case, except that Apple could no longer prevent developers from directing users to external payment options.
Unsurprisingly, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney commented on X: "Big news! The Epic Games Store and other app stores are coming to the Google Play Store in 2025 in the USA - without Google's scare screens and Google's 30% app tax - thanks to victory in Epic v Google."
Google has already announced that it will appeal the ruling and will ask the courts to put Epic's requested changes on hold pending the appeal. Lee-Anne Mulholland, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at Google: "As we have already stated, these changes would put consumers’ privacy and security at risk, make it harder for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition on devices. Ultimately, while these changes presumably satisfy Epic, they will cause a range of unintended consequences that will harm American consumers, developers and device makers. These Epic-requested changes stem from a decision that is completely contrary to another court’s rejection of similar claims Epic made against Apple - even though, unlike iOS, Android is an open platform that has always allowed for choice and flexibility like multiple app stores and sideloading."
Google also argues, particularly in relation to Apple, that Apple and Android compete directly for consumers and app developers. It also says that Android is an open system and that Google Play is not the only way to get apps, citing the Samsung Galaxy Store as an example.
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