Aptoide sues Google over app store rules
Independent Android app store Aptoide filed a federal antitrust lawsuit alleging Google illegally monopolises Android app distribution and in‑app billing through lock‑in and technical barriers. The complaint frames distribution and billing requirements as exclusionary conduct and is the latest private challenge to Google’s app‑store practices ((benzinga.com)).
Aptoide sued Google in federal court on April 14, accusing it of illegally blocking rival Android app stores and payment systems. (justia.com) The case is in the Northern District of California under number 5:26-cv-03165, and Aptoide demanded a jury trial. Aptoide named Google LLC plus Google entities in Ireland, Asia Pacific and payments. (justia.com) Aptoide told the court Google monopolizes two linked markets: how Android apps get distributed and how in-app purchases get processed. The company is asking for an injunction and unspecified treble damages under United States antitrust law. (money.usnews.com) On Android, users can install apps outside Google Play, but rivals say Google adds enough warnings, defaults and commercial restrictions to make that route hard to use at scale. Aptoide says those barriers keep developers tied to Google Play and Google billing. (money.usnews.com) Aptoide is based in Lisbon and calls itself the world’s third-largest Android app store. Reuters reported that it had about 436,000 apps in its catalog and more than 200 million annual users by 2024. (money.usnews.com) The lawsuit lands after Google already agreed in November 2025 to Android and Play Store changes in its long-running case with Epic Games. Reuters reported that settlement was aimed at lowering fees, expanding payment options and increasing competition. (money.usnews.com) That earlier fight went badly for Google before the settlement. A jury found in 2023 that Google had unlawfully stifled competition, and a trial judge later ordered broad reforms. (money.usnews.com) Aptoide has been pressing this issue for years. Reuters reported that it filed a separate complaint with European Union antitrust authorities in 2014 over Google’s Android practices. (money.usnews.com) Google did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment when the suit was filed. The next visible date on the docket is July 14, 2026, when the court has scheduled an initial case management conference. (money.usnews.com) (justia.com)
