Google to Carry Rival App Stores Inside Google Play Starting 22 July
Google will start carrying third-party app stores inside Google Play on 22 July, after it and Epic dropped a bid to soften the court’s order. It is a first for the US.
July 16, 2026 – 12:40 pm
Image by: Mika Baumeister/Unsplash
Android has always allowed users to install apps from outside Google’s store. Starting next week, it goes much further.
According to The Verge, Google told a California court it is ready to begin on Wednesday, 22 July.
The move follows a years-long legal battle. In 2023, a jury found Google’s Play Store was an illegal monopoly. In October 2024, Judge James Donato ordered Google to carry rival stores inside Play and share its full app catalogue with them.
The Failed Deal
Google fought that order, then settled with Epic Games in late 2025, reportedly with a secret $800m payment. The settlement swapped the in-store remedy for a “Registered App Stores” plan, where users would sideload rival stores instead.
However, a court-appointed economist, MIT’s Nancy Rose, concluded in a July report that the plan was “unlikely” to help rivals overcome Google’s grip. Users, she noted, rarely leave the store they already know. With a hearing looming, Google and Epic gave up. They withdrew the motion to avoid “prolonging this process which creates uncertainty for the ecosystem.”
How It Will Work
From 22 July, an approved store can pull the Google Play catalogue into its own shopfront. Developers are listed by default, and can opt out.
Google retains control: downloads still run through Google, which still takes a fee. Rival stores must pay $5,000 a year for review, operate only in the US, accept every eligible developer, and keep malware below 1% of installs.
Global Precedent
The idea is not new. In Europe, the Digital Markets Act already forces Apple and Google to allow rival stores, and Brazil has also opened iOS to competition. Switzerland has just launched a probe into Google’s Android choice screen, and the US Supreme Court declined to pause a similar order against Apple.
The money has already moved. Under the Epic deal, Google cut its store commission from 30% to as low as 10%, and let developers use outside payment links.
Who Steps In?
The open question is who will build the stores. Microsoft has long eyed an Xbox mobile store. Epic runs its own, and Amazon has one. It took Epic years of court fights to pry the door open. On 22 July, it swings wide.
By Alina Maria Stan