Aptoide sues Google
Independent Android app store Aptoide filed a federal antitrust suit accusing Google of exclusionary conduct around app distribution and in‑app billing, citing OEM lock‑in and exclusivity arrangements. The complaint frames Google’s control of Android distribution as a competitive chokehold on rival stores and payment flows. (San Francisco Today)
Aptoide sued Google in federal court on April 14, accusing it of illegally blocking rival Android app stores and payment systems. (reuters.com) The complaint was filed in San Francisco and seeks an injunction against Google’s conduct plus treble damages under United States antitrust law. Aptoide, based in Lisbon, said Google monopolizes both Android app distribution and in-app billing. (reuters.com) Aptoide said Google locks up phone makers with distribution deals, cuts exclusivity arrangements with developers, and adds extra steps that make alternative stores harder to install and use. The company said those barriers kept it from putting more price pressure on Google Play. (nationaltoday.com) Android apps usually reach users through an app store, and in-app billing is the payment rail for digital purchases inside those apps. Aptoide’s case says Google controls both gates on Android phones, leaving rivals with less access to users and developers. (reuters.com) The suit lands after Epic Games won a jury verdict against Google in December 2023, and after a federal judge imposed a permanent injunction in October 2024. A Ninth Circuit panel later upheld both the verdict and the injunction, keeping pressure on Google’s Android business model. (cravath.com) Google has already started rolling out policy changes tied to that pressure. In March 2026, the Android Developers Blog said Google would expand billing options, create a registered app stores program, and lower some developer fees. (android-developers.googleblog.com) Google also says eligible developers can offer alternative billing systems through Google Play programs and application programming interfaces, though those programs come with rules about eligibility and implementation. Google’s support pages describe user choice billing as a staged program that has expanded over time. (developer.android.com) (support.google.com) Aptoide is not a tiny entrant. On its company site, it says it has more than 430 million users and 1 million apps, and it calls itself the third-largest Android store in the world. (aptoide.com) Google has not conceded the claims. Reuters reported that Google said the case “has no merit,” setting up another fight over whether Android is open enough to satisfy courts, developers, and rival stores. (reuters.com)
