Judge orders Google to ease rival app store installs

A federal judge ordered Google on August 13, 2026, to remove several steps that make it harder to install rival Android app stores, calling them "anticompetitive friction." Judge James Donato issued the order in a San Francisco courtroom during a hearing where Epic Games demonstrated the current installation process.

The ruling affects Google, which must change how third-party app stores appear in its Play Store, and companies like Epic Games and Aptoide that want to distribute their stores through Google's platform. It also impacts Android users, who will face fewer steps when installing alternative app stores, and potentially large companies like Amazon that might otherwise avoid launching their own stores due to poor search visibility.

The changes matter because a jury found nearly three years ago that Google held an illegal monopoly over Android apps, and Judge Donato had previously ordered Google to carry rival app stores in its Play Store and give them access to Google's full app catalog for several years. Epic argued Google was still making installation too difficult, and Donato agreed.

During the hearing, Epic's lawyer Yonatan Even showed that searching Google's Play Store for "store for apps" returned no third-party app stores, only physical stores like Walmart. "That is not acceptable, that has to be fixed," Donato said, ordering Google to ensure searches with phrasing at least 70 percent accurate surface relevant results. He also ordered Google to change a "view" button to an "install" button for third-party app stores, noting users don't face that extra step for Apple Music. Additionally, Donato told Google to remove a banner that requires users to click through to a dedicated page for third-party app stores, saying there is "no purpose whatsoever" for the "are you looking for" screen. He gave Google one week to implement the changes, saying, "Have it done by a week from today."

Epic and Google had previously agreed that app stores are a special category of apps with advanced permissions, but Donato said the warning on the third-party app store page itself was sufficient. He compared the situation to searching for music and being asked if you're looking for music, saying average users won't be confused when they get what they asked for.

Google's counsel agreed to make the changes, and the judge said the company should let him know if there are any problems meeting the deadline.