Judge razes restrictive Play Store polices as Epic suit finally gets some results

Epic has been raging holy war across mobile platforms for years now, fighting to upheave the monolithic app distribution systems at the core of Google’s and Apple’s ecosystems. Epic already found itself on the path towards victory as a jury found that the the Play Store and Play Store billing constituted a monopoly on Google’s part, and we’ve been waiting to learn what the fallout from that decision would be. Now the ruling is in, and Google is going to have to make some big changes to how it does things.

Judge James Donato lays down a few core consequences for Google, reports Bloomberg. Starting next month, Google can’t make deals that force devs to make their apps exclusively available in the Play Store, nor can the company prohibit devs from communicating alternate ways through which users can access their software.

One of the most impactful rules here would force Google to itself host third-party stores on Play, helping to give users access to them in the first place (via CNBC). Devs wouldn’t be forced to use Google’s billing services, nor stopped from pointing users towards cheaper ways to pay. Google also can’t pay companies to pre-install the Play Store on their phones.

Google will be required to give third-party stores “access” to the Google Play app catalog, but at the moment we’re unclear exactly what that would entail.

All of these rules will be in effect for a period of three years, once they begin at the start of November.

Google, understandably, announced its intention to appeal. The way the company views things, the only competition that matters is Google vs Apple, and that’s all that consumers really need. Its message downplays the difficulties faced by third-party app stores, hammering home the point “Android is open.”

Then there’s security, and the impact this threatens, which Google warns now puts users at risk. The judge has said that Google can take “reasonable measures” to ensure Play Store security, but it’s unclear now far that might go, and what this might mean for Play Protect. A special committee of three members will be put together to help weigh concerns like these, as Google starts implementing the mandated policy changes.

This is all new territory for Google, Android, and third-party app stores alike, and with lawyers no doubt drafting up appeals as we speak, this story is probably very far from over.