Android’s biggest store-within-a-store shakeup starts next week

The Epic Games vs Google battle (almost) concluded late last year when the companies jointly proposed a settlement that avoided sweeping changes to the Play Store. The settlement came in the backdrop of an $800 million surprise partnership between the companies. Now, the companies have jointly withdrawn the settlement (!), meaning that Google will now be forced to carry rival app stores within the Play Store after all.

The Verge reports that not only have the companies withdrawn their settlement, but Google is even ready to begin carrying third-party app stores in the US from next week, July 22, 2026.

Google spokesperson Dan Jackson shared the following statement to the publication:

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.

This brings an end to Epic and Google’s litigation (hopefully).

What does all of this mean?

The settlement originally allowed Google to avoid carrying third-party app stores in the US. Instead, Google promised to allow developers greater flexibility to distribute apps and process payments outside the Google Play Store.

Since this settlement has been withdrawn, Google will have to follow the original October 2024 judgment, which forced it to carry rival Android app stores within the Google Play Store for several years and to share its entire app catalog with them. However, this judgment applies only to the US, so the “stores-within-a-store” model will have to be followed here, while other global markets can remain unchanged.

As Google’s statement clarifies, it is simultaneously moving ahead with changes for global markets as part of its settlement with Epic, too, namely Registered App Stores.

For the US, The Verge notes that Google is already informing US app developers that their app and game listings will automatically be made available to third-party app stores starting July 22, unless they opt out. It has also launched an enrollment page for third-party app stores for its Play Catalog Access Program, and Google will charge stores $5,000 annually for “security and policy reviews” alongside other requirements.

There are plenty of unanswered questions which we hope will be clarified as the process moves on. Epic and Google are set to appear before the Court on Thursday, and it remains to be seen if the Court has any further observations on the matter in light of this development.