Google Forced to Simplify Third-Party App Store Installation Process
A federal judge in California has ordered Google to simplify the process of installing third-party Android app stores. The ruling comes as part of an ongoing legal battle between Google and Epic Games, which accused the tech giant of restricting access to alternative app stores and payment methods.
The court documents show that installing a third-party app store like Aptoide Games is currently a multi-step process involving several pop-up screens and links. Judge James Donato was not impressed by this process, calling it 'anticompetitive friction' and ordering Google to remove the obstacles by next week.
Specifically, the judge ruled that if someone searches for 'app stores' or similar terms in the Play Store, a list of alternative app stores must be displayed. The 'View' button on the screen showing third-party apps must also be replaced with an 'Install' button.
Jason Howell, co-host of the Android Faithful podcast, noted that replacing the View button with an Install button might seem puzzling since most Play Store search results don't show it initially. However, he was glad to see Google addressing the issue of directing consumers to a separate page for third-party app stores.