The US court has issued the final ruling in Epic v. Google case. As a result, Google Play will have to change and open up to third-party Android stores, in addition to other notable requirements.
On October 7, Judge James Donato ruled that Google must begin distributing third-party app stores through Google Play and grant them access to Google Play’s full catalog of apps (via The Verge).
This comes almost a year after a court ruling found that the company created an illegal monopoly in the Android app distribution and in-app billing services globally. Epic Games followed with a list of remedies, the main ones of which were addressed on Monday.
The court has now ordered that for the next three years, from November 1, 2024 to November 1, 2027, Google must:
- Stop requiring its Google Play Billing system for apps distributing on the Play Store and let developers set their own prices irrespective of Play Billing;
- Allow devs to inform users about alternative payment methods and share links to download their apps outside of Google Play;
- Stop offering devs money or any perks in exchange for Play Store exclusivity;
- Stop offering Android device manufacturers money or perks to preinstall the Play Store or not to preinstall third-party stores.
“The Google Play Store injunction lasts for 3 years. This means all app developers, store makers, carriers, and manufacturers have 3 years to build a vibrant and competitive Android ecosystem with such critical mass that Google can’t stop it,” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney wrote on X.
It is worth noting that these changes will come into effect in the US only, so Epic plans to continue to pressure Google in other jurisdictions.
Google has already issued a statement, saying it will appeal this decision and ask the court to pause the requested changes. The company argued that the ruling ignores several important factors:
- Apple and Google compete directly for consumers and developers (they have “finite resources and have to decide how much time and money to devote to building and updating their apps for each platform”);
- Android is already an open ecosystem that doesn’t ban third-party stores (e.g. Samsung Galaxy Store, TapTap, Huaweil AppGallery, etc.) and sideloading.
“Android has helped expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps,” Google’s statement reads. “The initial decision and today’s Epic-requested changes put that at risk and undercut Android’s ability to compete with Apple’s iOS.”