Google Play opens up to third party app stores from next week

Google and Epic have agreed to drop another ongoing court fight, meaning the Play Store will be opening up to distribute third party app stores natively next week.

As The Verge reports, Epic and Google agreed to jointly withdraw a previous settlement about how Android’s app stores work, which will speed up the arrival of the Epic Games Store on Google’s Play Store, as well as any other third party app stores including Samsung’s Galaxy Store, indie stores like AltStore and Skich – and, potentially, an Xbox app store.

In short, Google had previously agreed to a 2024 ruling by a US judge that meant it would be launching a ‘Registered App Stores’ program in order to ensure it has controls over which alt stores can be downloaded on Android. It appears that is now being scrapped as part of its ongoing cooperation with Epic and it’ll be alot easier for third parties to launch a store through Google’s Play Store.

A Google spokesperson told The Verge: “We’ve agreed with Epic to withdraw our motion to modify the US Court’s injunction rather than prolonging this process which creates uncertainty for the ecosystem. This allows us to focus on executing our recently announced global business model evolution to deliver greater app store choice, lower prices, and more opportunities for developers and users.”

“We remain committed to maintaining Android’s industry-leading security and fostering a competitive ecosystem where every app store and developer has the freedom to compete. In parallel, we continue to comply with the US Court’s injunction.”

Naturally Epic Games boss Tim Sweeney has had his say on X: “Third-party stores are coming to the Google Play Store! Epic Games Store already hosts third-party stores including Itch and GOG Galaxy. When will the other guys finally open up and stop blocking and taxing competition?”

Earlier this week, Google Play games GM Aurash Mahbod explained to us some of the thinking behind Google’s complex new fee structure, which has already rolled out in the UK, US and EU, and is coming to more markets soon.