Aptoide sues Google

Aptoide sued Google in San Francisco on April 14, accusing it of illegally locking up Android app distribution and in-app billing. (usnews.com) Aptoide said Google’s controls over app downloads, payments and access to “must have” services kept smaller stores from competing for developers and users. The Portuguese company asked the court for an injunction and triple damages under United States antitrust law. (usnews.com) The company is based in Lisbon, says it specializes in mobile games, and described itself in the complaint as the world’s third-largest Android app store. Reuters reported that Aptoide had about 436,000 apps in its catalog and more than 200 million annual users by 2024. (usnews.com) The case lands after Google already lost a major fight over the same business. In December 2023, a jury found Google had monopoly power in Android app distribution and Android in-app billing and had unlawfully tied the Play Store to Google Play Billing. (ca9.uscourts.gov) The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld that verdict on July 31, 2025, and left in place a three-year injunction that bars Google from paying or rewarding developers, phone makers or carriers to favor Google Play. The order runs through November 1, 2027. (ca9.uscourts.gov) (courthousenews.com) Google has been changing its rules while that pressure builds. On March 4, Google said developers would be able to use their own billing systems inside apps, send users to their own websites for purchases, and join a new “Registered App Stores” program for easier sideloading. (android-developers.googleblog.com) Google said that app-store program would start outside the United States first and come to the United States later if a court approves it. The company also said it would split billing fees from service fees, with a 5% billing rate in the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area. (android-developers.googleblog.com) Alternative billing was already available in more than 35 countries under Google Play programs, including the European Economic Area, Japan, Australia, Brazil and the United Kingdom. Google’s developer documentation says some European developers can offer a standalone payment system without also offering Google Play billing. (support.google.com) Aptoide has been fighting this battle in Europe for years. Reuters reported that it filed a separate complaint with European Union antitrust authorities in 2014. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) Google did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the new suit. The next question is whether Aptoide can turn the Epic precedent and Google’s own rule changes into a second court order aimed at the same Android gatekeeping system. (usnews.com)