Google Play Store must offer alternative application stores

U.S. District Judge James Donato has ordered Google to open its Play Store to competing app stores, marking a major victory for Epic Games in their four-year antitrust case. This decision, announced on Monday, follows a jury’s verdict last year that deemed the Play Store an illegal monopoly. Under the new ruling, Google must allow Android users to download applications from competing third-party app stores, a change that will be in effect for three years. Currently, users have to navigate to a developer’s website to download apps from alternative stores, but the new measures will enable these stores to be accessible directly through the Play Store. However, Google is permitted to take “reasonable measures” to ensure the safety and legality of these apps, using a similar assessment method as it currently employs for apps within the Play Store. The ruling also mandates that third-party Android app stores have access to the entire catalog of apps available on the Play Store. This means that users will be able to download all apps from the Google Play Store through other stores, even if those apps are not officially offered there. App developers, however, can choose to opt out of this arrangement individually. [...]

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