Aptoide sues Google
Rival app store Aptoide filed an antitrust lawsuit alleging Google has monopolised Android app distribution and in‑app billing in the U.S. by using OEM lock‑in agreements and Play Store policies that block alternatives. (thehindu.com) The complaint specifically targets distribution and developer‑facing rules rather than product features, arguing those barriers prevent other stores and billing systems from scaling. (nationaltoday.com)
Aptoide sued Google in federal court this week, accusing it of illegally blocking rival Android app stores and payment systems in the United States. (reuters.com) The case was filed on April 14 in the Northern District of California as Aptoide, S.A. v. Google LLC et al., with an initial case management conference set for July 14 before Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen. (justia.com) Aptoide says Google controls two linked markets on Android: where users get apps and how developers process in-app payments. The complaint seeks an injunction against the challenged practices and treble damages under United States antitrust law. (reuters.com) The company’s argument is not that Android phones technically cannot run other stores. It says Google used contracts with phone makers, deals with developers, and Play Store rules to make alternatives too hard to install, promote, and scale. (nationaltoday.com) That claim lands after years of litigation over the same part of Google’s business. A jury in December 2023 found that Google had unlawfully maintained monopoly power in Android app distribution and Android in-app billing, and the Ninth Circuit affirmed that result in July 2025. (ca9.uscourts.gov) United States District Judge James Donato had already entered a permanent injunction against Google in October 2024 in the Epic Games case. The appeals court left that order in place, backing remedies meant to open Android app distribution to more competition. (cravath.com) Aptoide is a Portuguese company that says it serves more than 200 million users a year and lists about 436,000 apps. It argues that, without Google’s restrictions, it could have grown into a stronger check on Google Play. (financialexpress.com) Google did not immediately comment to Reuters on the new lawsuit. The company has previously defended Android as an open ecosystem that competes with Apple and gives developers and users multiple ways to distribute apps. (reuters.com; ca9.uscourts.gov) The new suit puts Google back in San Francisco federal court over the same core question: whether Android’s openness on paper matches how apps and payments work in practice. (reuters.com)
