Overview
- Google and Epic jointly withdrew their proposed settlement on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, clearing the way for the court’s original injunction to take effect.
- Google told the court it will begin carrying approved third‑party app stores inside Google Play on July 22, 2026, and opened a Play Catalog Access Program for store enrollment.
- U.S. developers’ Play listings will be shared automatically with enrolled third‑party stores unless developers opt out through the Play Console.
- Participating stores must meet eligibility and safety rules, pay a $5,000 onboarding and annual security and policy review fee, limit malware install attempts to 1 percent, and may distribute Play apps only within the United States.
- Installs listed by third‑party stores will still complete through Google Play under Google’s existing service‑fee terms, a change that lowers distribution barriers but preserves Google’s download pipeline and control over billing economics.