Overview
- Google and Epic jointly withdrew a proposed settlement and Google told the court it will begin carrying enrolled third‑party app stores inside Google Play on July 22, 2026.
- By default US developers’ Play listings—names, icons, descriptions, screenshots and videos—will be shared with enrolled stores unless a developer opts out in the Play Console.
- Third‑party stores must meet security and policy rules, pay a $5,000 annual security and policy review fee, and keep malware install attempts below 1 percent or face removal from the program.
- Apps listed in enrolled stores will still install through Google Play and remain subject to Google’s Play service fees even if the app uses alternative billing options enabled by recent policy changes.
- The move enforces Judge James Donato’s 2024 remedies designed to break Google’s distribution control and sets up a two‑track model with Play‑hosted stores in the US and a Registered App Stores sideloading program elsewhere, a shift that could change discovery, pricing and who competes in mobile gaming.