Third-party app stores coming to Google Play next week as Epic settlement withdrawn

Third-party app stores coming to Google Play next week as Epic settlement withdrawn

Google will begin distributing rival third-party app stores within the Google Play Store on July 22, 2026. The move follows a joint decision by Google and Epic Games to withdraw a proposed settlement that would have allowed Google to avoid carrying these competing platforms in the United States.

The shift is the result of a long-running antitrust battle that began in 2020. Epic Games challenged Google's billing systems after the publisher added a direct purchase option for V-Bucks in Fortnite to avoid paying a 30 percent cut to Google and Apple. This led to Fortnite being pulled from the Play Store and a subsequent lawsuit.

In October 2024, Judge James Donato ruled that forcing Google to carry rival stores within Google Play and sharing its entire app catalog was the most effective way to undo Google's illegal monopoly over Android applications. The court found that Google had used its market position to discourage device makers from promoting non-Google stores and had attempted to hide that behavior.

The Failed Settlement

Google and Epic had previously attempted to modify these remedies through a settlement reached in late 2025, which included a secret $800 million deal. Under that proposal, Google would not have hosted rival stores in the Play Store. Instead, it promised a "Registered App Store" program. This would have allowed stores to access streamlined installation features, but users would still have to sideload the store clients.

Judge Donato expressed skepticism toward this proposal in early 2026. Further doubts were raised in an expert analysis provided to the court by MIT economics professor Nancy Rose, who noted the settlement was unlikely to enable Google Play’s potential competitors to overcome their long-standing network-effect disadvantage in a timely manner.

Facing an unlikely approval, the companies withdrew their motion to modify the injunction. Google Trust and Reputation Communications Lead Dan Jackson stated the companies agreed to withdraw the motion rather than prolonging this process which creates uncertainty for the ecosystem.

New Requirements for Third-Party Stores

To access the Google Play catalog of apps, third-party stores must enroll in the Play Catalog Access Program. Google will charge an annual fee of $5,000 to cover security and compliance reviews. Some reports indicate an additional upfront $5,000 fee is required during onboarding.

Approved stores must adhere to several strict mandates:

• They must target users within the United States and are legally prohibited from using the Play catalog to distribute apps to users outside the US.
• Stores must be open to all eligible third-party developers and maintain clear, non-discriminatory trust and safety policies.
• They must block malware, respect intellectual property, and provide mechanisms to update and uninstall apps.
• Google may remove a store if more than 1 percent of attempted app installs are identified as malware or unwanted software.

While these stores will have access to the Google Play catalog by default, individual app developers have the option to opt out of being distributed through these third-party storefronts. Google is already notifying US developers that their listings will be made available to external stores starting July 22 unless they opt out.

A Divided Global Strategy

The "stores-within-a-store" model is a mandate specifically for the US market. For the rest of the world, Google is proceeding with its Registered App Store program, which is expected to launch with a new version of Android later this year. This creates a two-track system: US users can download rival stores directly via Google Play, while global users must rely on the simplified sideloading process of the Registered App Store program.

Other changes resulting from the Epic dispute are moving forward regardless of the withdrawn settlement. Google has opened the Play Store to outside billing and reduced its commission fees. Depending on the source, these commissions have been reported as reducing from 30 percent to either 10 percent or 20 percent, with some developers paying an additional 5 percent fee for using Google's billing system.

The companies were scheduled to appear before the court on Thursday, July 16, though the withdrawal of the settlement motion may have altered the necessity of those arguments.