Aptoide sues Google
Aptoide filed a federal antitrust lawsuit accusing Google of using Android distribution and in‑app billing rules to choke off rival app stores. The complaint alleges OEM lock‑in and developer exclusivity arrangements that amount to an Android app‑store monopoly, according to coverage of the filing. (nationaltoday.com)
Aptoide has sued Google in federal court, saying Google still blocks rival Android app stores from reaching users and developers. (justia.com) The case was filed on April 14, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California as Aptoide, S.A. v. Google LLC et al., case number 5:26-cv-03165. Aptoide demanded a jury trial. (justia.com) Aptoide says Google monopolizes two parts of the Android business: app distribution and in-app billing, the payment system used when people buy digital items inside apps. Reuters reported that Aptoide is seeking an injunction and unspecified treble damages. (usnews.com) The company says Google uses agreements with phone makers, developer exclusivity deals, and extra steps for users who try to install alternative stores instead of Google Play. Aptoide said those barriers kept it from competing more aggressively on commissions and policies. (androidauthority.com) This suit lands after Epic Games won a major antitrust case over the same Android markets. In July 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a jury verdict that found Google had monopoly power in Android app distribution and Android in-app billing services. (law.justia.com) That ruling also left in place a three-year injunction that bars Google from giving benefits to developers, distributors, original equipment manufacturers, or carriers in exchange for favoring the Play Store. The injunction required Google to let developers point users to alternative billing, pricing, and distribution channels. (law.justia.com) Google has already started rolling out changes tied to that pressure. In March 2026, Google said its new Registered App Stores program would give qualifying third-party Android app stores a simpler installation flow for users who sideload them. (android-developers.googleblog.com) Aptoide’s complaint says those changes have not fixed the core problem. Aptoide says it has about 436,000 apps and more than 200 million annual users, but still cannot get fair access to top developers and “must have” services that keep users inside Google Play. (usnews.com) Google did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment when the suit was filed. The first case-management statement in the new lawsuit is due July 7, 2026, and the first conference is set for July 14, 2026. (usnews.com) (justia.com)
