Aptoide sues Google
A rival Android app store, Aptoide, sued Google alleging Play Protect and other distribution controls were used to suppress competition and steer users away from alternative stores. The suit follows Google’s November agreement to change Play Store rules after the Epic Games case and revives debate about whether Play Protect can be used as a competitive lever. (reuters.com) (ainvest.com)
Aptoide sued Google on Tuesday, accusing it of using Android app distribution rules to shut out rival app stores. (reuters.com) The complaint was filed in federal court in San Francisco on April 14, 2026. Aptoide said Google monopolized Android app distribution and in-app billing and asked for an injunction plus triple damages under United States antitrust law. (reuters.com) Aptoide, based in Lisbon, said it had about 436,000 apps and more than 200 million annual users by 2024. Google did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment after the suit was filed. (reuters.com) At the center of the case is Google Play Protect, the Android security system that scans apps and devices for harmful behavior. Google says Play Protect is on by default, can warn users about apps from outside Google Play, and in some cases can block, disable, or remove apps it flags as harmful. (support.google.com) Aptoide says those security warnings and other Google controls do more than screen for malware. The company said Google used Play Protect, access to key services, and Play Store rules to steer users and developers back to Google’s own store. (reuters.com) The lawsuit lands after Google and Epic Games filed a joint motion on November 4, 2025, asking a federal judge to modify the injunction in their Play Store antitrust fight. That filing followed a December 2023 jury verdict for Epic and a July 31, 2025 Ninth Circuit decision upholding the verdict and the injunction against Google. (cbs17.com) (ca9.uscourts.gov) The Ninth Circuit said the jury found Google had monopoly power in Android app distribution and Android in-app billing services, and that the district court’s three-year injunction barred Google from giving benefits to device makers, carriers, developers, or distributors in exchange for favoring Google Play. (ca9.uscourts.gov) Aptoide has fought Google before. Reuters reported that Aptoide filed a separate complaint with European Union antitrust authorities in 2014, and Aptoide says on its own site that it now counts more than 430 million users and 1 million apps across its platform. (reuters.com) (aptoide.com) The new case puts a narrower question in front of the court: when Android warns users away from outside apps, where does device security end and market power begin. Google says Play Protect is a safety tool; Aptoide says it became a gatekeeper. (support.google.com) (reuters.com)
