Google to host rival app stores in Play Store by July 22

Google Alphabet Inc. ↘ 0.73% and Epic Games have jointly withdrawn their attempt to modify a court injunction that mandates sweeping changes to the Android app ecosystem, the companies told a federal court on Tuesday. The move means rival app stores will begin appearing inside Google Play as soon as July 22.theverge+2

The End of a Six-Year Fight

The withdrawal, first reported by MLex on July 15, effectively ends years of legal maneuvering by Google to avoid opening its app marketplace to competitors. Google informed the court that it is prepared to begin carrying third-party app stores within Google Play starting next Wednesday — a deadline set under the original October 2024 permanent injunction issued by Judge James Donato.google+2

Under that injunction, Google must allow rival app stores to be distributed through Google Play itself and share its entire catalog of Android apps with those stores, though developers may opt out. Google has already notified U.S. developers that their app listings will be automatically made available to third-party stores starting July 22 unless they explicitly choose otherwise.instagram+2

Settlement Efforts Collapse

Google and Epic reached what appeared to be a comprehensive settlement in March 2026, which would have reduced Google's standard app store fee from 30 percent to 20 percent and created a "Registered App Stores" program globally through 2032. The parties asked Judge Donato to enter a revised injunction reflecting that deal. But the court ordered an evidentiary hearing on the proposal, initially set for July 16, after an economist questioned the revised terms.mlq+4

Rather than continue what Google called a process "which creates uncertainty," the companies chose to withdraw the motion entirely, leaving the original injunction intact. That injunction runs for three years from November 2024, expiring November 1, 2027.arstechnica+2

What Comes Next

The decision could finally give Microsoft ↘ 0.62% the opening it has sought for its Xbox mobile game store. The company has been planning an Android storefront since 2024, and Microsoft Gaming CEO Asha Sharma confirmed in April that the project remains active. With Google now required to host competing stores inside Play, the technical barriers that delayed Microsoft's plans may be removed.thurrott

Google will also no longer be able to require developers to use Google Play Billing or prohibit them from telling users about cheaper prices elsewhere — provisions already in effect since October 2025.reddit+1