Google sued by Aptoide
A rival Android app store, Aptoide, sued Google alleging the company used anti-competitive tactics to suppress alternative app marketplaces on Android devices. The lawsuit follows Google’s 2024 ruling and a November settlement change tied to Epic Games, and it raises questions about how default placement and security tools like Play Protect are being used. (reuters.com)
Aptoide sued Google on April 14, accusing the company of using its control of Android app distribution and billing to squeeze out rival app stores. (srnnews.com) The lawsuit was filed in federal court in San Francisco and seeks an injunction against Google’s alleged conduct plus triple damages. Aptoide, based in Lisbon, said it is the world’s third-largest Android app store and had about 436,000 apps and more than 200 million annual users by 2024. (srnnews.com) Aptoide said Google blocks smaller marketplaces from gaining scale by steering developers toward Google Play and other “must have” Google services, and by limiting rivals’ access to exclusive content from top developers. Google did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment. (srnnews.com) The case lands after courts already found Google broke antitrust law in Epic Games’ fight over Android. In a July 31, 2025 opinion, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a 2023 jury verdict and a three-year injunction against Google. (cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov) That ruling said Google unlawfully maintained monopoly power in Android app distribution and Android in-app billing, and unlawfully tied the Play Store to Google Play Billing. The injunction bars Google from giving benefits to device makers, carriers, developers, or distributors in exchange for favoring Google Play. (cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov) Google and Epic then filed a joint motion on November 4, 2025 asking Judge James Donato to modify the permanent injunction as part of a settlement. That filing set a December 11, 2025 hearing date in the Northern District of California. (cbs17.com) Google announced another set of changes on March 4, 2026. In an official Android Developers Blog post, it said developers would be allowed to use their own billing systems or send users to their own websites, and it introduced a “Registered App Stores” program to make sideloading qualifying app stores easier. (android-developers.googleblog.com) Google said that new app-store program would start outside the United States first and come to the United States later, subject to court approval. The same post said Google would split billing fees from service fees, with a 5% billing rate in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Economic Area, and a 20% in-app purchase service fee for new installs after launch. (android-developers.googleblog.com) One pressure point in fights like this is Play Protect, Google’s security system for Android apps. Google says Play Protect can block installation of unverified apps that use sensitive permissions often targeted in financial fraud, and it can scan apps installed outside Google Play. (support.google.com; security.googleblog.com) Aptoide’s suit tests whether Google’s new promises to open Android will satisfy rivals that want shelf space, easier installation, and access to developers now, not after another round of court review. (srnnews.com; android-developers.googleblog.com; cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov)
