A judge ruled that Google must open its Play Store to competition for three years as part of the Epic v. Google case. Google will be required to distribute third-party app stores through Google Play and give them access to its full app catalog unless developers opt out.
Starting November 1, 2024, Google must allow developers to use alternative payment methods, link to external downloads and set their own prices. Google is prohibited from offering incentives to keep apps or devices exclusive to its store.
Google plans to appeal the decision, arguing it could harm consumers and developers.
