Wednesday, July 15, 2026
Technology

Google and Epic give up fighting — third-party Android app stores are coming next week

Epic Games and Google have just jointly withdrawn their attempt to retroactively settle the lawsuit that's changing how Android app stores work in the United States - and that means Google will be forced to carry rival app stores inside of its own. In fact, Google tells the court, it's ready to begi...

Google and Epic give up fighting — third-party Android app stores are coming next week
Image: The Verge

Epic Games and Google have just jointly withdrawn their attempt to retroactively settle the lawsuit that's changing how Android app stores work in the United States - and that means Google will be forced to carry rival app stores inside of its own. In fact, Google tells the court, it's ready to begin carrying third-party app stores on Wednesday, July 22nd. Does that mean it's time for Microsoft to launch an Xbox game store on Android?

In October 2024, Judge James Donato originally agreed that forcing Google to carry rival Android app stores within its own Google Play store, and share its own entire catalog of apps with those stores, would b …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Originally published at The Verge

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