Maya Robertson
Google has been ordered to make third-party Android app stores easier to find and install through Google Play after a U.S. federal judge criticized several steps in the current process as unnecessary “anticompetitive friction.” The order is the latest development in the company’s ongoing antitrust proceedings with Epic Games.
During a compliance hearing in San Francisco on August 13, U.S. District Judge James Donato reviewed a live demonstration from Epic showing how users currently encounter rival app stores in Google Play. Donato concluded that several elements of the experience create unnecessary obstacles and instructed Google to change them within a week, as reported by The Verge.
One issue involved how third-party stores appear in Play Store search. Epic attorney Yonatan Even demonstrated that searching for “store for apps” did not return alternative app marketplaces and instead surfaced physical retailers such as Walmart. Donato ordered Google to improve search results so that variations of searches intended to find app stores can surface relevant third-party marketplaces.
The judge also objected to an additional step in the installation process. Users selecting a third-party app store currently encounter a “view” button before being given the option to install it. Donato instructed Google to replace that step with a direct “install” option, pointing out that the additional interaction does not appear when users install ordinary apps such as Apple Music.
Another point of dispute concerned searches for terms such as “app store” or even the name of a specific marketplace such as Aptoide. Instead of presenting a conventional list of app results, Google displays a banner that directs users to a dedicated third-party app store page. Epic argued that the approach could put rival marketplaces at a disadvantage by preventing them from appearing normally alongside other Play Store search results.
Donato ordered Google to remove the additional “are you looking for” screen, saying the warning already displayed on the third-party app store page was sufficient. Google’s attorney argued that alternative stores are a special class of application because they require advanced permissions, but the judge rejected the need for the additional search-stage prompt.
Google has been given one week to implement the ordered changes, although Donato said the company could inform the court if it encounters problems meeting that deadline.
The dispute follows the arrival of rival app stores directly inside Google Play in the United States. Aptoide Games recently became the first third-party Android app store available for US users to download through the Play Store, following court-ordered changes stemming from Epic’s antitrust case against Google.
The underlying case dates back to Epic’s challenge to Google’s Android app distribution and billing practices. In 2023, a jury unanimously found that Google had maintained an illegal monopoly in Android app distribution and in-app billing. Donato subsequently ordered remedies intended to open Google Play to competing stores, including requirements for Google to distribute rival Android marketplaces through its own store.
The latest hearing focused not on whether rival stores can technically appear on Google Play, but on how easily users can actually discover and install them once they are there. Epic argued that Google’s implementation continued to place obstacles between users and competing marketplaces despite the broader opening of the Play Store.
Android Authority similarly characterized the disputed prompts and additional installation steps as barriers surrounding alternative app stores. The publication noted that Donato’s order requires Google to streamline the experience rather than merely allowing rival marketplaces to exist within Google Play.
The ruling means the implementation of third-party app stores on Google Play is continuing to evolve only days after Aptoide’s arrival. Google’s next changes will need to address not just access to competing stores, but their visibility in search and the number of steps users must complete before installing them.
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