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

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.

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.