Rival app store sues Google

Aptoide sued Google in federal court on April 14, accusing it of illegally locking up Android app distribution and in-app billing. (reuters.com) The complaint was filed in San Francisco by the Lisbon-based company, which calls itself the world’s third-largest Android app store. Aptoide said Google’s restrictions kept smaller stores from winning developers, exclusive content and users. (reuters.com) Aptoide said it had about 436,000 apps and more than 200 million annual users by 2024, and argued it could have put more pressure on Google’s prices and rules without what it called an “anticompetitive chokehold.” The suit seeks an injunction and treble damages under United States antitrust law. (reuters.com) Android app stores are marketplaces where users download software, and in-app billing is the payment system used when people buy digital items inside those apps. Aptoide’s case targets both layers, arguing Google controls the storefront and the checkout. (reuters.com) The lawsuit lands after Epic Games already won a major antitrust case over Google Play. In December 2023, a jury found Google had unlawfully maintained monopoly power in Android app distribution and Android in-app billing. (ca9.uscourts.gov) A federal judge then issued a three-year injunction on October 7, 2024, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld that order on July 31, 2025. The appeals court said Google could not pay developers, device makers or carriers to favor the Play Store over rivals. (ca9.uscourts.gov) Google did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on Aptoide’s new case. In the Epic litigation, Google argued its Play policies protected security and competed with Apple’s App Store. (reuters.com, ca9.uscourts.gov) Aptoide runs an alternative app marketplace outside Google Play and says it now reaches more than 430 million users across its platform. Its pitch to developers is lower commissions and more control over distribution than the default Google channel. (aptoide.com, reuters.com) The new suit tests whether Epic’s courtroom win opens the door for smaller rivals to press their own claims against Google. For now, the fight is back in San Francisco, with Android’s app-store rules under another round of scrutiny. (reuters.com, ca9.uscourts.gov)