Rival app stores coming to Google Play as Epic Games wins landmark case

Google will soon have to let competitors sell their app stores right inside Google Play after a federal appeals court backed Epic Games in what’s being called one of the biggest antitrust wins against Big Tech in years.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney took to X with a post calling it a “total victory” for his company. The ruling means other app stores can now be downloaded directly from Google Play instead of forcing users through the annoying process of installing apps from sketchy third-party websites.

This whole mess started back in August 2020 when Epic decided to pick a fight with Google. The Fortnite maker deliberately broke Google’s payment rules by letting players buy in-game items without going through Google’s system, which takes a hefty 30% cut of every purchase. Google kicked Fortnite off the Play Store within hours, and Epic immediately sued.

The move was part of what Epic called “Project Liberty,” basically their war against what they saw as Google and Apple’s stranglehold on app distribution. Epic argued that Google was running an illegal monopoly that hurt both developers and users. A jury heard the case in late 2023 and unanimously sided with Epic on every single point. They decided that Google had illegal monopolies in both Android app distribution and in-app billing, finding that Google’s secret revenue-sharing deals with phone makers and app developers created unfair competition.

Judge James Donato originally issued a permanent injunction in October 2024 that would force these changes, but he put most of it on hold while Google appealed. As we previously covered, this initial ruling was a major victory for Epic, though Google was granted a stay on most requirements while fighting the decision.

The full injunction gives Google three years to make major changes. They have to distribute rival app stores within Google Play, give competitors access to Google’s full app catalog, and stop requiring apps to use Google Play Billing. Google also can’t make those anticompetitive deals that prevented phone manufacturers from including other app stores on their devices.

Epic also recently won its way back to the App Store in the US, and Apple was forced to allow third-party app stores in Europe because of new regulations there. That said, Epic is planning to bring their store and Fortnite back to iPhones in the UK later this year. 

This victory could open doors for other companies that have complained about Google and Apple’s grip on app distribution. Companies like Spotify and Facebook have long argued that the current system stifles innovation and keeps prices artificially high.

But Google says they’re taking this fight all the way to the Supreme Court; however, for now, they’ll have to start making the changes the court ordered. For regular Android users, this could mean more options for downloading apps and maybe even lower prices as competition heats up.