Android has always let users install apps from outside Google’s store. Next week, it goes much further. Google will start hosting rival app stores inside Google Play itself.
Google told a California court it’s ready to launch on Wednesday, July 22, The Verge reported. The move came after Google and Epic Games jointly withdrew a motion to alter the court’s remedies.
The fight traces back years. In 2023, a jury found Google’s Play Store was an illegal monopoly. In October 2024, Judge James Donato ordered Google to host rival stores inside Play and share its full app catalog with them.
Why the deal collapsed
Google fought that order, then settled with Epic in late 2025, reportedly with a secret 00 million payment. The settlement swapped the in-store remedy for a “Registered App Stores” program, where users would sideload rival stores instead. The court was not pleased. A court-appointed economist, MIT’s Nancy Rose, said in a July report the program was “unlikely” to help rivals overcome Google’s grip. Users, she noted, rarely leave the store they already know. With a hearing looming, Google and Epic gave up, withdrawing the motion to avoid “prolonging this process which creates uncertainty for the ecosystem.”
How it works
From July 22, an approved store can pull the Google Play catalog into its own storefront. Developers are included by default and can opt out. Google still takes a cut of transactions. Rival stores must pay ,000 a year for review, operate only in the US, include every eligible developer, and keep malware under 1% of installs.
Europe came first
The concept isn’t new. The EU’s Digital Markets Act already forces Apple and Google to allow rival stores. Brazil opened iOS too, and Switzerland just opened a probe into Google’s Android choice screen. The money has already moved — under the Epic deal, Google cut its store commission from 30% to as low as 10%.
The big question is who builds the stores. Microsoft has long eyed an Xbox mobile store. Epic runs its own, and Amazon has one. It took Epic years of court fights to pry the door open. On July 22, it swings.
