Google Ordered to Ease Rival App Store Installs in Android
A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered Google to make it easier for users to install rival app stores on Android devices, ruling that the company's proposed implementation plan does not go far enough.
The order comes after a jury found Google operated an illegal monopoly over Android apps nearly three years ago. Judge James Donato had previously ordered Google to carry rival Android app stores directly inside its own Google Play Store and provide competitors with complete access to its massive app catalog.
Google's proposed solution, which would have allowed users to install alternative app stores but still required them to navigate through multiple warning screens and security prompts, was deemed unacceptable by Judge Donato. The company will now need to revise its plans to make rival app store installation as frictionless as Google Play itself.
The stakes are high for developers, who currently pay a 15-30% cut of most transactions on the Play Store, a toll that Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has called exploitative. If competing app stores can gain meaningful market share on Android, it could trigger a race to offer developers better economics and save them billions in fees annually.