Aptoide sues Google

Aptoide sued Google in San Francisco on April 14, accusing it of illegally locking up how Android apps are distributed and how in-app payments are processed. (reuters.com) The Portuguese company said Google uses the Play Store, Google Play Billing, and deals tied to device makers and developers to keep rival app stores from reaching scale. Aptoide asked for an injunction and treble damages under United States antitrust law. (reuters.com) Aptoide said it had about 436,000 apps and more than 200 million annual users by 2024, and argued it charges lower commissions to developers than Google. The complaint says those price differences have not been enough to overcome Google’s distribution advantage. (reuters.com) On Android, users can install apps from outside Google Play, but rival stores still need developers, handset makers, and billing tools to participate. Aptoide’s case says Google has used that control over the ecosystem to keep alternative stores from becoming real substitutes. (reuters.com) The lawsuit lands after Epic Games already won a major antitrust case against Google over the same parts of Android. A federal jury in December 2023 found Google had unlawfully maintained monopoly power in Android app distribution and Android in-app billing services. (ca9.uscourts.gov) In October 2024, a federal judge ordered a three-year injunction requiring Google to let alternative app stores appear in Google Play and get access to Google Play’s app catalog. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld that verdict and injunction on July 31, 2025. (cravath.com) (ca9.uscourts.gov) Google said in a statement that Android gives developers and consumers more choice than rival mobile platforms, and it has denied that its Play Store rules are unlawful. The company has made similar arguments in the Epic case and in other Play Store antitrust fights. (reuters.com) (ca9.uscourts.gov) Aptoide has also been trying to expand beyond Android. In 2024, it launched an iPhone app store for users in the European Union after Apple changed its rules there under the Digital Markets Act. (aptoide.com) (pocketgamer.biz) The new case could test whether Epic’s courtroom win changes the market in practice, or whether smaller stores still need separate lawsuits to force open Android distribution. For now, Aptoide is asking a San Francisco court to make Google compete for app-store business it has long controlled. (reuters.com) (ca9.uscourts.gov)