Google must now open its app store Google Play for Android apps developed by rival companies for three years, a US court ruled on Monday. The injunction issued by US district Judge James Donato, which will come into effect from November 1, bars Google from paying developers to exclusively use its store or prohibit them from telling customers about how to directly download apps, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The ruling came as a big victory for a popular video game Fortnite maker Epic Games which has been fighting the case for the past four years. It alleged Google of stifling competition by controlling the distribution of apps and payments on Android phones.
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The injunction also required Google to let Android developers tell users about other ways to pay from within the Play Store, link to ways to download their apps outside of the Play Store and set their own prices for apps irrespective of Play billing.
It also cannot share app revenue “with any person or entity that distributes Android apps”, according to a report by The Verge. And, it cannot offer developers money or perks not to launch their apps on rival stores.
Tim Sweeny, the founder of Epic Games, hailed the court verdict in an X post. “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,” Sweeny said.
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He also said that 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”.
A Losing Battle for Google
In the aftermath of the ruling, the tech giant will certainly witness a huge loss in its sales. An analyst quoted in the Bloomberg report estimated a “worst case” loss in gross profit of more than $1bn off sales that amounted to $14.66bn in 2020.
In its defense, Google contended that its partnerships help Android phones better compete against Apple’s iPhone. “Apple and Android clearly compete,” Google said in a blog post.
“Ultimately, while these changes presumably satisfy Epic, they will cause a range of unintended consequences that will harm American consumers, developers and device makers,” the tech giant said, mentioning that it will ask the courts to pause Epic’s requested changes.
Google had asked for 12 to 16 months to add third-party apps to the Play Store, but the judge set a deadline of eight months.
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