Third-party app stores coming to Google Play next week as Epic settlement withdrawn

Skip to content

App stores within app stores

With the settlement withdrawn, Google is now bound by the court’s full antitrust remedies.

Getty Images | Kirill Kudryavtsev

Big changes are coming to Android apps, but they’re not the changes Google wanted. The settlement between Google and Epic that aimed to put to rest the companies’ long-running antitrust battle is being withdrawn, and that means third-party app stores are coming to the Play Store. Google has confirmed that it will begin distributing rival app stores next week, setting the stage for competing platforms to take a bite out of Google’s Android revenue stream.