Aptoide sues Google again
Aptoide filed a fresh U.S. antitrust lawsuit alleging Google maintains an illegal monopoly over Android app distribution. Coverage says the complaint revives prior concerns about whether platform mechanisms like Play Protect can be used to disadvantage rivals. (benzinga.com)
Aptoide sued Google in San Francisco on April 14, accusing the company of illegally monopolizing Android app distribution and in-app billing. (reuters.com) The new complaint says Google uses Google Play, billing rules and other “must have” services to shut out rival Android app stores. Aptoide is asking for an injunction and triple damages under United States antitrust law. (reuters.com) Aptoide is based in Lisbon and says it had about 436,000 apps and more than 200 million annual users by 2024. The company says lower commissions for developers and lower prices for users have not been enough to overcome Google’s control of the market. (reuters.com) On Android, users can install apps outside Google Play, but Google’s store and payment system still sit at the center of most app sales. That structure has been under antitrust scrutiny in the United States for years. (reuters.com) (cnbc.com) In December 2023, Google agreed to a $700 million settlement with states and consumers over Google Play practices. In a separate case, an Epic Games jury found in December 2023 that Google had unlawfully maintained monopoly power in Android app distribution and Android in-app billing. (cnbc.com) (ca9.uscourts.gov) That Epic case did not end with the jury verdict. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the verdict and the injunction against Google on July 31, 2025, and a rehearing bid was denied on September 12, 2025. (ca9.uscourts.gov) (courthousenews.com) Aptoide and Google have also fought before over Play Protect, Google’s Android security system that warns users about potentially harmful apps. Portuguese courts previously barred Google from removing Aptoide from users’ phones through Play Protect alerts, according to reporting at the time. (slashdot.org) (portugalreports.com) Google did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the new case. The lawsuit now lands before a court system that has already spent years testing how much control Google can lawfully keep over Android’s app economy. (reuters.com)
