Aptoide sues Google

Aptoide sued Google in federal court on April 14, accusing it of illegally controlling how Android apps are distributed and how in-app payments are processed. (reuters.com) The plaintiff is Aptoide, a Lisbon-based company that calls itself the world’s third-largest Android app store. Reuters reported the case was filed in San Francisco and seeks court orders plus triple damages under United States antitrust law. (reuters.com) Aptoide said Google’s “anticompetitive chokehold” kept smaller stores from winning developers, exclusive content, and users. Reuters said Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on April 14. (reuters.com) The fight is about two gates on Android: where people download apps and which payment system developers must use for digital purchases. Aptoide says Google has used control over both gates to steer developers and users back to Google Play. (reuters.com) That claim arrives after courts and state attorneys general already forced changes to Google Play. In a December 2023 multistate settlement, Google agreed to pay $700 million and let developers use billing systems other than Google Play Billing for at least five years. (oag.ca.gov, ag.ny.gov) Google also lost the Epic Games case over Android app distribution. A federal judge’s October 7, 2024 injunction said Google must allow third-party app stores through Google Play, stop requiring Google Play Billing, and stop blocking developers from telling users about other payment options through November 1, 2027. (cases.justia.com, cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov) Google has been rolling out some of those changes in its developer tools and policies. Google’s Android developers blog said in March 2026 that developers would get more billing options, a program for registered app stores, and lower fees in some programs. (android-developers.googleblog.com, developer.android.com) Aptoide argues those shifts have not fixed the market. Reuters said the company claims it would have put much more pressure on Google’s pricing and policies without the barriers it describes in the lawsuit. (reuters.com) Aptoide’s own website says it has more than 430 million users and 1 million apps across its platform. Reuters gave a narrower operating snapshot, reporting about 436,000 apps in its catalog and more than 200 million annual users by 2024. (en.aptoide.com, reuters.com) The new case tests whether Google’s court-ordered and settlement-driven concessions changed Android fast enough to open the market to rivals. For now, the dispute is back where the last one was: a federal courtroom in Northern California. (reuters.com, cases.justia.com)