Get ready, Android users: Google will begin letting people download third-party apps from the Google Play Store next week, Bloomberg reports. This news comes after the five-year antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games, the creator of the popular video game Fortnite, concluded on Tuesday.
Owners of Android phones in the US will be able to download third-party apps starting on July 22.
Epic Games sued Google in 2020, claiming that Google’s Play Store operated as an unlawful monopoly by restricting easy access to third-party services, such as app stores and non-Google payment methods.
In late 2023, the court ruled in Epic’s favor, and US District Judge James Donato issued a sweeping order requiring Google to open the Play Store to rival app stores.
In November 2025, the two companies reached a settlement to modify this order, proposing an alternate solution that was made public in March of this year. The compromise would take the form of a Registered App Stores program, requiring third-party stores to remain outside the Play ecosystem as sideloaded apps rather than inside Google Play.
Then, both companies jointly withdrew this modified settlement to avoid “prolonging” the legal process. Since the compromise was scrapped, Google reverted to complying with the court’s original, stricter mandate.
The company launched a dedicated page for its Play Catalog Access Program, announcing that third-party app stores will be downloadable directly from within Google Play starting July 22. App developers will have greater visibility for their products, and their games and applications will be listed on external Android app stores.
Google’s service fees will continue to apply to these downloads, while the company lowered its app purchase commissions from 30% down to 10%. As part of the settlement, developers are now allowed to offer users alternative payment methods or to distribute purchase links to their own websites.
Google spokesperson Dan Jackson told CNET in a statement that by moving past this dispute, the tech giant can focus on launching its new global business strategy aimed at providing more store choices, lower prices and better opportunities for users and developers.
Jackson emphasized that while Google will strictly comply with the US court’s original mandate, it’s “committed to maintaining Android’s industry-leading security and fostering a competitive ecosystem where every app store and developer has the freedom to compete.”
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