Google has made some changes to the Play Store in the U.S. These changes have been made to comply with a court order in the antitrust lawsuit against Epic Games.
Epic filed a case against Google in 2020, after the latter had banned Fortnite from the Play Store for evading Google's own payment system. The lawsuit dragged on, and in 2023, Google was found to have built an illegal app store monopoly on Android. Though Google appealed the ruling, last year, a judge ordered that the company to open up the Play Store to third-party payment options. It was also ordered to allow other app markets on the Play Store.
Google appealed against this ruling at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. But the lower court was not convinced, and the Mountain View company lost the appeal. Google had filed a stay motion in an attempt to delay the launch of third-party app marketplaces on the Play Store, but the court denied this as well.
Now, Google has revealed that it has made some changes to the Play Store payments policy to ensure compliance with the injunction. It will not prohibit app developers from informing users about the pricing of apps outside the Play Store. The Play Store will not forbid Android developers from linking to app downloads outside the Play Store. Google Play Billing is no longer required for apps that are distributed via the Play Store. It will also allow apps to link to an external payment gateway, i.e. apps can direct users to a third-party payment system, where they can buy a license or subscribe to a service.
It is worth noting that these changes only apply in the United States. Google has to follow these rules for three years in the U.S., until November 1, 2027.
It's unclear how this will affect Google's plans for sideloading on Android.
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