Epic Games v Google: Judge rules Play Store must allow rival apps

There has been further development in the Epic Games v Google legal saga this week – and the search giant is not happy.

In December 2023, Epic Games won its lawsuit against the tech giant after three years. It claimed that Google had a monopoly with its Play Store app, which allows users to download other apps.

The court agreed that it was stifling competition in the market and breaking antitrust law. Epic Games heralded the ruling as “a win for all app developers and consumers around the world”.

What must Google do now?

On Monday (Oct, 8) the District Court for the Northern District of California released a permanent injunction outlining what Google must do to uphold the law. It will come into effect on November 1 and is only applicable in the US.

For three years from next month, Google has to allow apps made by its competitors on the Play Store.

“Google is entitled to take reasonable measures to ensure that the platforms or stores, and the apps they offer, are safe from a computer systems and security standpoint, and do not offer illegal goods or services under federal or state law within the United States, or violate Google’s content standards,” the judgment clarifies.

Judge James Donato has also asked Google to make its apps available on rival app stores. The company will also be blocked from making agreements with developers to have an app first launched or exclusively available on the Play Store.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney welcomed the news on X. He wrote, “the legal and regulatory battle will continue around the world”.

Big news! The Epic Games Store and other app stores are coming to the Google Play Store in 2025 in the USA – without Google's scare screens and Google's 30% app tax – thanks to victory in Epic v Google.https://t.co/1g6uuw1CJB

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) October 7, 2024

He said the industry must “build a vibrant and competitive Android ecosystem with such critical mass that Google can’t stop it”.

Google has also announced it is appealing the injunction. It said the decision is “completely contrary” to another court decision made when Epic went up against Apple.

It added: “The changes would put consumers’ privacy and security at risk, make it harder for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition on devices.”

Epic Games, which is behind the smash hit game Fortnite, launched another lawsuit last week, this time against Samsung. It claims the security feature Auto Blocker is violating antitrust law.

Feature image credit: Unsplash

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