Google will start carrying rival app stores inside Google Play on 22 July

Android has always let people install apps from outside Google’s store. Next week it goes much further. Google will start carrying rival app stores from inside Google Play itself.

Google told a California court it is ready to begin on Wednesday 22 July, The Verge reported. The move came after Google and Epic Games jointly withdrew a motion to modify 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 carry rival stores inside Play, and to share its full app catalogue with them.

Why the deal collapsed

Google fought that order, then settled with Epic in late 2025, reportedly with a secret $800m payment. The settlement swapped the in-store remedy for a “Registered App Stores” plan, where users would sideload rival stores instead.

The court was not convinced. A court-appointed economist, MIT’s Nancy Rose, said in a July report the plan 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. They withdrew the motion, Google said, to avoid “prolonging this process which creates uncertainty for the ecosystem.” That leaves the original order in force.

How it will work

From 22 July, an approved store can pull the Google Play catalogue into its own shopfront, Ars Technica reported. Developers are listed by default, and can opt out.

Google keeps a hand on the tap. Downloads still run through Google, which still takes a fee. Rival stores must pay $5,000 a year for review, operate only in the US, accept every eligible developer, and keep malware below 1% of installs.

Europe got here first

The idea is not new. In Europe, the Digital Markets Act already forces Apple and Google to allow rival stores, and Brazil opened iOS too. Switzerland just opened a probe into Google’s Android choice screen, and the US Supreme Court declined to pause a similar order against Apple.

The money has already moved. Under the Epic deal, Google cut its store commission from 30% to as low as 10%, and let developers use outside payment links.

Who steps in

The open 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 22 July, it swings.