Google and Epic drop settlement bid in Android app store case
Google told the court it is ready to start carrying third-party app stores in Google Play on July 22, The Verge reported.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
2 min read
Google is preparing to carry rival Android app stores inside Google Play after Epic Games and Google jointly withdrew a bid to settle their long-running case, The Verge reported. The move matters because it clears the way for a court order that changes how Android app distribution works in the United States.
According to The Verge, Google told the court it is ready to begin carrying third-party app stores on Wednesday, July 22. The company and Epic had been seeking to retroactively settle the lawsuit, but their joint withdrawal leaves the existing court-ordered changes in place.
The case centers on Google Play and whether Google must allow competing app stores to be distributed through its own store. The Verge reported that the withdrawal means Google will be required to host rival Android app stores within Google Play.
What the court order requires
Judge James Donato agreed in October 2024 to require Google to carry rival Android app stores within Google Play for several years, according to The Verge. The order also addressed access to Google Play’s app catalog, though the available report did not provide the full details of that requirement.
The change would give competing app stores a direct path to Android users through Google’s own marketplace. For developers and companies that want to distribute apps outside Google’s standard Play Store model, that could create a more visible route to customers in the U.S.
Epic Games has challenged Google’s control over Android app distribution and payments through its lawsuit. Google, for its part, had sought a settlement path with Epic before the companies withdrew that effort, according to The Verge.
What happens next
Google’s statement to the court puts the start date for carrying third-party app stores at July 22, The Verge reported. The report did not say which rival app stores would appear first or whether any specific company has confirmed a launch through Google Play on that date.
The shift could affect major game and software companies that have considered their own mobile stores. The Verge raised Microsoft’s Xbox mobile store as one possible example, but the report did not state that Microsoft will launch one through Google Play next week.
For now, the immediate consequence is procedural and practical: Epic and Google are no longer asking the court to approve their settlement effort, and Google says it is ready to comply with the requirement to carry third-party Android app stores.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.