Google and Epic Abandon Settlement, Clearing the Way for Rival Android App Stores

[MacRumors]

Google and Epic Games this week withdrew their joint settlement agreement after it became clear the court was unlikely to allow it.

With the settlement out, Google is bound by a permanent injunction issued in October 2024 requiring it to allow alternative app stores on Android devices. In a court filing [PDF], Google said that it plans to begin supporting alternative app stores on July 22. In a statement to The Verge, Google said it decided to withdraw the motion to avoid a prolonged legal fight.

We've agreed with Epic to withdraw our motion to modify the US Court's injunction rather than prolonging this process which creates uncertainty for the ecosystem. This allows us to focus on executing our recently announced global business model evolution to deliver greater app store choice, lower prices, and more opportunities for developers and users. We remain committed to maintaining Android's industry-leading security and fostering a competitive ecosystem where every app store and developer has the freedom to compete. In parallel, we continue to comply with the US Court's injunction.

Epic Games sued Google at the same time that it sued Apple, but the cases had different judges and different outcomes. The lawsuit largely went in Apple's favor, but Epic Games came out ahead in the Google case after a jury found Google abused its power by operating an app store monopoly and charging developers fees that were too high.

Google went through an appeals process before reaching an agreement with Epic Games in an attempt to avoid the permanent injunction, but now it will need to comply. Back in March, Google said it would launch a worldwide Registered App Store program for sideloading later in the year, but in the U.S., alternative app stores will be an option on Android starting next week.

Third-party U.S. app stores will be able to distribute the Google Play catalog of apps, and Google has published a guide on the process. The app stores will be available through the Google Play Store, and Google will charge alternative marketplaces a $5,000 annual access fee. Apps downloaded through alternative stores will still use the Google Play system, and Google will collect its service fee on those transactions.

Google's agreement to lower fees for apps and accept alternative payment options is separate from the injunction requiring it to support third-party marketplaces in the Play Store. Google is still cutting its fees and supporting alternative payment methods.

The injunction forcing Google to support third-party app stores doesn't have a direct impact on Apple, but it is a legal outcome Apple has been fighting worldwide. The European Union's Digital Markets Act requires Apple to support alternative app marketplaces and app sideloading in the EU, and Apple has repeatedly said the requirement weakens user privacy and protections. Google adding support for third-party app stores through the Android Play Store could eventually impact Apple's own Epic fight or future regulatory changes.

Though Apple largely won its legal fight against Epic Games, the case is ongoing. Apple was ordered to allow link-outs and alternative payment options in the U.S. in 2021, and compliance problems later led to a contempt ruling. Apple has now appealed to the Supreme Court, and the court will hear Apple's argument in late 2026 or early 2027.

Article Link: Google and Epic Abandon Settlement, Clearing the Way for Rival Android App Stores

 

[KanosWRX]

Still don't know how this happened where Google gets the hammer and apple doesn't?? how in this world does that make any sense to me I'll never understand.. heck you could already use and install 3rd party stores/apps on Android even before this.. Apple must have paid off the judge or jury somehow.

 

[EvilEvil]

Still don't know how this happened where Google gets the hammer and apple doesn't?? how in this world does that make any sense to me I'll never understand.. heck you could already use and install 3rd party stores/apps on Android even before this.. Apple must have paid off the judge or jury somehow.

Apple definitely had more money hats.

 

[Shirasaki]

What does this abandonment mean? Google land already allows third party stores since like forever. It’s all about Apple and only Apple. Google is caught in the crossfire.

Not to say Google is guilt-free. I just struggle to see the significance of dragging Google into this alternative store fight. It’s nice for Google to decide to quit rather than bleeding money to lawyers.

 

[justanotherdave]

Still don't know how this happened where Google gets the hammer and apple doesn't?? how in this world does that make any sense to me I'll never understand.. heck you could already use and install 3rd party stores/apps on Android even before this.. Apple must have paid off the judge or jury somehow.

I don’t know how people can’t see the difference.

It’s the same reason Microsoft had antitrust issues. Both MS and Google license their operating systems to OEMs and then try to control how those OEMs operate.

Apple doesn’t license iOS to anyone so are immune from a wide range of antitrust issues that both MS and Google need to be careful if.

 

[Hajj.david]

What does this abandonment mean? Google land already allows third party stores since like forever. It’s all about Apple and only Apple. Google is caught in the crossfire.

Not to say Google is guilt-free. I just struggle to see the significance of dragging Google into this alternative store fight. It’s nice for Google to decide to quit rather than bleeding money to lawyers.

But they really didnt. Also the whole Google Play services meant you were forced to use google play for 99% of apps

 

[surferfb]

Still don't know how this happened where Google gets the hammer and apple doesn't?? how in this world does that make any sense to me I'll never understand.. heck you could already use and install 3rd party stores/apps on Android even before this.. Apple must have paid off the judge or jury somehow.

The TLDR version is Apple’s ecosystem is closed by design, and closed-by-design is legal in the US. Google’s is open by design, but Google paid OEMs to keep it (mostly) closed. Paying other companies to keep an open system closed is the kind of thing antitrust law is designed to punish.

The longer version:
Google argued “Android is open; users can sideload, OEMs can ship rival stores.” Epic showed the jury how much effort and money Google spent making sure nobody actually used the alternatives: payments to keep big developers on Play, revenue-share deals with carriers and OEMs, etc. All while advertising “Android is open!”

Meanwhile, Apple never need to sign a contract to keep competitors off iOS. It just owns the whole stack, and that’s a unilateral choice about its own product, which is pretty much legal in the US unless you become an actual monopolist (which Apple isn’t under US law).

The key point is what @justanotherdave pointed out - Google’s conduct involved contracts with other companies, and that’s easier to lose.

 

[tongxinshe]

Still don't know how this happened where Google gets the hammer and apple doesn't?? how in this world does that make any sense to me I'll never understand.. heck you could already use and install 3rd party stores/apps on Android even before this.. Apple must have paid off the judge or jury somehow.

Apple started its system with the strict rules, the developers knew all of them before jumping onto the ship. After that, all of the changes were only in the developers’ favor, after Apple got many developers signing into its system, under originally stricter rules. So, Apple cheated no developers. Google did the opposite, it originally built up Anroid at a very ludicrous style, so that it can quickly become the dominant platform, then gradually tightened up the requirements to match Apple’s "closed garden” system, so Google basically cheated the developers.

 

[thebarrkbyte]

This is gonna be hilarious again to watch a tiny minority celebrate a new App Store no one will use that will shut down again after barely a year. Didn't Amazon JUST shut down theirs?

And the EU alternative app stores have gone NOWHERE.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

"I felt a great relief in the Force, as if a handful of voices suddenly cried out in joy and were suddenly downloading things."

 

[Mousse]

But they really didnt. Also the whole Google Play services meant you were forced to use google play for 99% of apps

There are alternatives--there is an alternative--to Google Play Services: MicroG. It's cooked into GrapheneOS, you can go zero Google if you want. You can also install it separately. The only reason to would be to avoid Google, since you don't gain anything otherwise. For some, that is reason enough.

Frankly, I like the PlayStore too much to abandon Google. F-droid is the best alternative app store one Android, IMO. There are more third party appstores on Android than you can shake a stick at, but I only trust Google's PlayStore and F-droid.

 

[turbineseaplane]

This is gonna be hilarious again to watch a tiny minority celebrate a new App Store no one will use that will shut down again after barely a year. Didn't Amazon JUST shut down theirs?

And the EU alternative app stores have gone NOWHERE.

That doesn’t mean the option shouldn’t exist.

 

[@Brett]

Still don't know how this happened where Google gets the hammer and apple doesn't?? how in this world does that make any sense to me I'll never understand.. heck you could already use and install 3rd party stores/apps on Android even before this.. Apple must have paid off the judge or jury somehow.

Apples store has never been open. Google allowed side loading. But was drifting towards a more closed system.

 

[Plutonius]

I'm still waiting for Epic to allow competitors sales on the Epic store.

 

[artifex]

Apples store has never been open. Google allowed side loading. But was drifting towards a more closed system.

Despite this new app store thing, they're still closing it. It's going to be a lot harder to side load apps from developers who haven't registered with Google, in a matter of weeks. Could even make F-Droid, the app store for free and open source software, no longer viable.