Google loses control over Android app billing after Epic court win; Epic Store coming to Play Store
Epic Games Store will launch on the Play Store as part of major platform shakeup
Epic Games has won a big legal battle against Google, as a U.S. court has ruled that Google's control over the Play Store and its payment system breaks antitrust laws. This means Epic can now launch its own app store inside Google’s Play Store.
The decision comes from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which agreed with a 2023 jury verdict that called Google’s practices illegal monopolies. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney called it a "total victory" and said the Epic Games Store will arrive on Android soon.
Epic CEO announces that the Epic Games Store is coming to the Play Store. | Image credit — @TimSweeneyEpic (X)
However, this isn’t just about Epic. The court’s ruling forces Google to let other companies launch competing app stores on Android for at least three years. That includes giving them access to apps and preventing Google from requiring its own billing system.
This legal fight started in 2020, when Epic sued both Apple and Google after Fortnite was removed from their stores. Epic lost its case against Apple, but the Google case turned out very differently. During the trial, the jury saw emails and documents showing that Google made secret deals with phone makers and game developers to shut out rivals.
In a statement to The Verge, Google stated it plans to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court as the company believes the decision could hurt user safety, reduce choice, and slow innovation. Google argues that Android already allows more freedom than Apple’s iOS, which doesn’t let other companies run their own app stores at all.
But the judges didn’t buy that argument and said Apple and Google work in different ways, and Apple’s locked-down system doesn’t excuse Google’s control over Android. The court made clear that Google has a monopoly over Android app distribution and billing.
This ruling could definitely change the way the Android app market works from this point on. Developers might get more options for how to sell their apps and use their own payment methods. But there are also risks, like security problems, if Google has less control over what gets published.
For users, it might mean more choices. For Google, it means big changes. Whether Epic’s store becomes a hit or not, this case sets a new standard for app stores and how they’re allowed to operate on Android. We’ll be paying close attention to Google's next move and how this will affect the Play Store.
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