Judge orders Google to make rival app stores easier to install

A month after Epic Games and Google appeared to have reached a truce over the future of Android app distribution, the two companies were back in a San Francisco courtroom. There, Judge James Donato issued a fresh ruling that compels Google to simplify the process of installing rival app stores on its operating system.

The legal battle traces back nearly three years, when a jury unanimously found that Google operated an illegal monopoly over Android apps. Almost two years ago, Judge Donato determined the remedy would be to pry open the app distribution system. His earlier order required Google to host competing stores within the Play Store and to give those rivals full access to its complete app catalog for several years.

Epic, however, argued that Google has not gone far enough, claiming the company still throws up unnecessary barriers. In a live courtroom demonstration, Epic’s attorney Yonatan Even showed just how many steps a user must endure to install a third-party store today. Judge Donato agreed that several of those steps amounted to what he called “anticompetitive friction” and ordered them removed.

One key issue surfaced when Even searched the Play Store for the term “store for apps.” No third-party app stores appeared in the results, only physical retail locations. “Wait, why did Walmart come up?” Donato asked, visibly puzzled. “That’s not good,” he added.

The judge was blunt in his directive: “That is not acceptable, that has to be fixed. I want every possible variation that’s even only 70 percent properly phrased.” Google’s counsel quickly agreed to comply.

Donato also took issue with the extra click required when users attempt to install a rival store. Instead of a straightforward “install” button, users first see a “view” button that takes them to another screen. “You don’t get that when you’re looking at Apple Music,” he observed. His instruction was simple: “Make that install, not view.” Google accepted the change.

Epic then demonstrated another problem. Searching for “app store,” or even typing the name of Aptoide, the first rival store to gain Play Store placement, does not yield a standard list of results. Instead, users encounter a banner that redirects them to a dedicated third-party app store page. Even argued this is not just a hurdle for newcomers. Established players like Amazon might avoid launching their own stores altogether if they cannot appear in ordinary search results.

Judge Donato saw no logic in the setup. “Why doesn’t it say ‘are you looking for music’ when you type in ‘music store’?” he asked. Google’s attorney defended the design, noting that Epic and Google had previously agreed app stores constitute a special category requiring advanced permissions. But Donato countered that the warning displayed on the third-party store’s page already handles any safety concerns. He saw no need to ask users whether they truly want what they searched for, whether it be a game store or a glass of water.

“We all know that when you go to a Google store or an Apple store and you type in the name of your app, you’re going to get one thing you were looking for and ten things you don’t want,” the judge remarked. He expressed confidence that average users will not be confused when they receive exactly what they requested. His order was unambiguous: “Take off the ‘are you looking for’ screen, there’s no purpose for that. There’s a friction there that has no purpose whatsoever.”

The timeline for these changes is tight. Donato told Google to have everything completed within a week, adding that the company should alert him if any complications arise.