Google she was sentenced to open your Play Store ai rivals: a decided it US federal judge. After one legal battle driven by Epic Games (the creator of Fortnite), the Mountain View giant was forced to open the doors of its digital store to competition for at least three years, starting from November 2024, XNUMX. Developers will be able to inform users about alternative payment methods and create links to download apps outside of the Play Store.
Judge James Donato imposed different sizes to correct what Epic Games has called a “de facto monopoly“, similar to what emerged in the California court ruling of last year. Google, as expected, has already announced its intention to do so appeal, warning that these changes could lead to “unintended consequences” for consumers, developers and device manufacturers.
Google-Epic Games lawsuit: here's what happened
The lawsuit stems from accusations by Epic Games, which claims that Google e Samsung (accused of collusion) have made excessive difficult for consumers the alternative store downloads, stifling competition. In particular, the infamous “Auto Blocker” on new Samsung smartphones makes it virtually impossible to download third-party stores, requiring a whopping 21 steps to disable it. This, according to Epic, has cemented the Google Play Store as the only primary channel for accessing apps on these devices. Epic has also accused Google of having paid billions of dollars and Samsung to favor the Play Store compared to the Galaxy app store, thus encouraging the exclusivity of its service.
This lawsuit is part of a larger legal battle that pits Epic against Google and Apple since 2020, after the game Fortnite was removed from digital stores for bypassing their payment systems. While Epic lost the battle against Apple in that case, this ruling (though not final) marks a victory against Google.
New rules for Google: payment freedom and third-party stores are coming
With this historic ruling, Google will have to adopt new rules. Not only will it have to allow the distribution of apps through third-party stores, but it will no longer be able to force developers to use the payment system Google Play Billing. This means that developers will have the freedom to offer alternative payment methods without having to pay a percentage to Google. They will also be able to insert links in the apps to inform users about these new options.
Big G will not more to offer economic incentives to device manufacturers and telephone operators to pre-install the Play Store or propose exclusive agreements with developers to keep their apps exclusively on the Play Store. However, the Mountain View giant will be able to continue to ask commissions, provided that they are linked to reasonable measures to ensure the safety of users.
To monitor the implementation of these measures, the judge ordered the creation of a joint technical committee, composed of three people, which will be responsible for supervising the implementation of the measures. Google will have eight months to adapt to the new provisions.
What happens now?
The ruling largely, but not entirely, ruled in favor of Epic Games. The company had requested that the Play Store be open for six years and that users be able to load apps with a single tap. However, the judge limited the measures to three years, noting that the goal was to level the playing field between Google and its rivals, without favoring the latter at the expense of the tech giant.
As Google prepares for a new round of court battles, this ruling represents a watershed moment against the tech giants and could have significant repercussions in Europe, where the Digital Markets Act aims to prevent similar practices.
