Google Opens Play Store to Third-Party App Stores in US

Google has opened its Play Store to third-party app store distribution in the US, following a long battle in court. The first option available is Aptoide Games, a mostly game-specific store with free and paid titles. Users can discover and download these stores through a dedicated landing page in the Play Store or by searching for them.

Google explains that it enforces its policies on third-party stores from within the Play Store but does not review every app in these stores nor manage updates or payments. The installation process works similarly to any other Android app, with no additional security measures required for installing apps.