‘Fortnite’ game-maker Epic had argued that Google used its dominance to extract excessive profits from app developers through its Play Store|Sergey Galyonkin|CC BY-SA 2.0
A district judge issued an injunction on Monday that forces Google to offer alternative app stores to the Play Store on Android devices. The move follows an antitrust ruling from a case initiated by Epic Games in 2020.
Fortnite game-maker Epic had argued that Google used its dominance to extract excessive profits from app developers through its Play Store, which generated approximately $12 billion in operating profit in 2021.
The injunction, which will be effective next month and last for three years, aims to simplify competition for Android mobile app developers.
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It barred Google from paying app developers to release Play Store-exclusive apps or device makers from pre-installing the app on their products.
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It also mandated that Google allow third parties to access its Play Store catalog, enabling the creation of competing app stores.
Tech experts believe the legal decision could help developers earn more money and avoid the usual 15% to 30% of app sales revenue Google and Apple’s app stores take.
In 2023, people spent $124 billion on apps, according to Sensor Tower.