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Google Ordered to Support Alternative App Stores and Payment Methods in Play Store

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Epic Games has successfully forced Google to change its Play Store business model following the conclusion of a 2020 antitrust lawsuit. A U.S. judge today decided that the Google Play Store has an illegal monopoly, and Google has been ordered make multiple changes as a result, reports Reuters.

play-store-google.jpeg

Google will need to allow Android users to download rival app stores like the Epic Games Store from within Google Play, plus it is required to allow third-party app stores to distribute Google Play apps, unless developers opt out of providing their apps through the alternative app stores.

Further, Google can no longer require developers to use Google Pay Billing for apps that are sold through the Google Play Store, which means that app developers will be able to offer alternative payment methods that do not give Google a cut of app sales.

Developers will also be able to link to alternative installation options in their apps, and will be able to let customers know about other ways to make purchases. Google is prohibited from offering carriers and device makers a financial incentive to preinstall the Play Store, and it is not able to offer developers money to launch their apps exclusively on the Play Store.

Google can, however, charge a fee for "reasonable measures" that are implemented to preserve user safety and security related to apps and app stores downloaded through Google Play.

Epic Games sued Google alongside Apple back in 2020, but the Epic Games v. Google lawsuit went differently from the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit. While Apple won and was not declared a monopolist, Google lost to Epic Games. Late last year, a nine-member jury ruled in Epic Games' favor, and said that Google had abused its power by charging developers unreasonable fees and operating an app store monopoly. While Google said that changes to the Play Store would be a hardship due to the time and money required, the judge overseeing the case was not swayed.

Google has to keep these changes in place for three years, starting on November 1, 2024. In a blog post, Google confirmed that it plans to appeal the Epic Games verdict, and it plans to ask the court to stay the ruling until the appeal plays out. Gogole believes the proposed changes would put consumer privacy and security at risk, make it harder for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition on devices.

Google says that while the changes will satisfy Epic Games, the unintended consequences will "harm American consumers, developers and device makers." Google's blog post further explains the reasons why it will appeal.

Google is also facing another Epic Games lawsuit, which was filed last week. Epic Games accused Google and Samsung of colluding to prevent sideloading on Galaxy devices through the Auto Blocker safety feature, though Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has confirmed that there is as of now no proof that the two companies worked together to limit sideloading on Samsung smartphones.

Article Link: Google Ordered to Support Alternative App Stores and Payment Methods in Play Store
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/10/07/google-alternative-app-store-support-android/
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iAppleOrchard said:
As a developer, I honestly hope one of these happens:
- 30% cut is removed
- Alternative payment methods everywhere

I believe letting the user use their card linked to their Apple Account is an ease of use thing, and having alternative payment methods might start complicating things.
Click to expand...

"-30% cut is removed" So a developer of a platform is not allowed to profit off of that platform? Why?

"- Alternative payment methods everywhere" Which means it would be extremely easy to get your credit card / bank account stolen by a bad actor with their own "payment method". You see already thousands of those on the internet. Do you want people to get scammed more easily? Because that is what you'll get.

I want a device with one way of installing apps. So I can be certain those apps are safe. I want also ONE way to pay on that device for those apps. So I know who has access to my data if something bad happens. (legally)
 
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MacRumors said:
Google will need to allow Android users to download rival app stores like the Epic Games Store from within Google Play
Click to expand...

Ouch, that seems like massive overreach. Allowing alt-stores is a far cry from being forced to provide the download.

I know people don't like brick and mortar analogies but will Walmart be forced to have an Amazon kiosk in-store?

MacRumors said:
plus it is required to allow third-party app stores to distribute Google Play apps, unless developers opt out of providing their apps through the alternative app stores
Click to expand...

Also seems like overreach, devs must opt-out of alt-stores instead of opt-in? Seems very convoluted. Waking up one morning to find your app in the Epic store when you didn't want it there is unacceptable.
 
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I am on an apple tech forum website and I buy .....some...apple products so yeah this is a win for the average consumer but in the grand scheme of tech it's hard to tell how this will all play out especially as the old guard (Google and apple) will be increasingly pressurised by the new (AI) lot....
 
The part about allowing Google Play apps to be distributed through other app stores unless the developer ops out seems super weird. As a developer with apps on both app stores, I certainly don’t want my app appearing on a random app store platform I didn’t sign an agreement with, or in the case of Epic, don’t support. I’m sure the devil is in the details but that part was a little concerning to me personally.
 
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schlitzz said:
And on appeal, Google will continue to state that Epic should develop its own software & hardware platform. Make its own stuff. Problem solved.
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This is what I don’t understand. People want to use play store and App Store to sell their stuff. But developers like Epic don’t want to pay a fee for that. Isn’t that the same as rice a roni selling stuff in Walmart? Where Walmart buys the rice at a set price then sells it for what they want, similar to getting a cut of the cost. Rice a roni doesn’t want to set up their own store just as Epic doesn’t. That costs money and Epic just wants all the benefits of selling to millions without the cost of having access to those millions of people.
 
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iAppleOrchard said:
As a developer, I honestly hope one of these happens:
- 30% cut is removed
- Alternative payment methods everywhere

I believe letting the user use their card linked to their Apple Account is an ease of use thing, and having alternative payment methods might start complicating things.
Click to expand...
Neither one of these will help you, 30% supports that platform and the tools you use, as a user I am not buying stuff from you if I can't use App Store.
 
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You know, Chevy parts won't work in my Toyota. Nor will BMW parts. Does that make both those car companies monopolies? Nope, and it's a ridiculous notion to suggest that. Google and Apple aren't monopolies; if you don't like iOS, switch to Android. But it's not these two company's fault that they ended up a duopoly. Hell, if Google hadn't dumped Android's original design once they saw the iPhone, Apple might have become a monopoly. But that's not what happened.

Consumers voted with their wallets. Sony, Microsoft, Palm, RIM...they all tried, but they weren't giving customers what the customers wanted. So now we have Android and iOS.
 
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deckard666 said:
I am on an apple tech forum website and I buy .....some...apple products so yeah this is a win for the average consumer but in the grand scheme of tech it's hard to tell how this will all play out especially as the old guard (Google and apple) will be increasingly pressurised by the new (AI) lot....
Click to expand...
How is this a win for the average consumer? Many consumers are waiting to be forced to maintain different payment methods? I think the lack of focus on what consumers really want in the tech journalist bubble is astonishing.
 
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icanhazmac said:
Ouch, that seems like massive overreach. Allowing alt-stores is a far cry from being forced to provide the download.

I know people don't like brick and mortar analogies but will Walmart be forced to have an Amazon kiosk in-store?



Also seems like overreach, devs must opt-out of alt-stores instead of opt-in? Seems very convoluted. Waking up one morning to find your app in the Epic store when you didn't want it there is unacceptable.
Click to expand...
It’s not a great analogy really.

Google’s monopoly on Android is giving them a monopoly on software distribution.
That right there is the issue.

If a government does nothing to stop the rich from getting richer, the poor will only get poorer. A country isn’t a collection of companies it’s a collection of people. Their needs trump those of corporations every single time.
 
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