Google is Ordered to Open Android Play Store for Three Years

Judge James Donato issued his final ruling in Epic v. Google today and, as expected, it did not go well for the online giant. Google must open up its Google Play Store to third parties, allow developers to use the in-app payment system of their choice, and make a laundry list of other changes for three years starting in November.

“Big news!” Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney tweeted. ” “The Epic Games Store and other app stores are coming to the Google Play Store in 2025 in the United States – without Google’s scare screens and Google’s 30 percent app tax – thanks to victory in Epic v Google.”

As you may recall, Epic Games baited Google into suing it so that it could challenge its Android app store monopoly in federal court. The resulting case, Epic v. Google, went to trial and Epic Games won an–sorry–epic victory, with a jury deciding that Google’s Play Store is an illegal monopoly. Today, Judge Donato issued his final ruling in the case. And as noted, it went poorly for Google, with Epic getting everything it wanted and more.

“For a period of three years ending on November 1, 2027, Google may not share revenue generated by the Google Play Store with any person or entity that distributes Android apps, or has stated that it will launch or is considering launching an Android app distribution platform or store,” the ruling explains. “For a period of three years ending on November 1, 2027, Google may not condition a payment, revenue share, or access to any Google product or service, on an agreement by an app developer to launch an app first or exclusively in the Google Play Store.”

It continues with several more similar restrictions, all brutal, all for three years.

Google must allow third parties like Epic to open competing app stores on Android without fear of punishment, and it cannot prevent those third parties from distributing the same apps and app versions that are in the Play Store. It cannot require hardware makers to bundle the Google Play Store on their devices. It cannot force developers to use the Google Play in-app payment mechanisms, and withstands its fees of up to 30 percent. It cannot prevent developers from communicating with their own customers in any way. And it must allow third-party app stores to access the entire Google Play catalog of apps and games.

Google and Epic Games are instructed to recommend a three-person technical committee to the Court that will will review disputes or issues related to Google’s new restrictions. And if no resolution is found, it may petition the Court.

Google said it would appeal, of course, and it oddly cited Apple’s more mixed verdict in a similar case with Epic as one reason why.

“We look forward to continuing to make our case on appeal, and we will keep advocating for what is best for developers, device manufacturers and the billions of Android users around the world,” Google said.