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Google scores massive reprieve in Epic case — no big Play Store changes just yet
- Google has partially succeeded in its motion to stay the injunction that would demand sweeping changes to the Play Store as of November 1.
- The company still can’t make deals prohibiting third-party stores on new phones.
- Google will have to extend that stay and ultimately succeed in its appeal if it wants to permanently resist these changes.
Google found itself in a tough spot last week, and it looked like forces outside the company’s control were about to push some sweeping changes across how the Play Store and Android billing operate. The fallout from Google’s lengthy battle with Epic Games culminated in the issuing of an injunction that would require Google to drop or change many core Play Store policies, as of November 1. But with just a couple weeks to go before the end of October, Google has managed to largely dodge this bullet, winning a temporary administrative stay on the biggest parts of the injunction.
In the wake of last week’s news, Google rushed to find itself some legal protection, and summitted a motion to stay the order. Today we learn that Judge James Donato was at least partially receptive to Google’s arguments, and the injunction is largely stayed as Google appeals (via The Verge). The one concession that will still take effect on November 1 prevents Google from making deals with other phone manufacturers that would prohibit them from shipping hardware with non-Google app stores installed.
While this is a huge win for Google, it’s also not the permanent solution the company was aiming for, and this legal battle is far from over. Still, the company’s spirits are clearly up, and Google shared this statement with Android Authority:
We’re pleased with the District Court’s decision to temporarily pause the implementation of dangerous remedies demanded by Epic, as the Court of Appeal considers our request to further pause the remedies while we appeal. These remedies threaten Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and secure experience and we look forward to continuing to make our case to protect 100 million U.S. Android users, over 500,000 U.S. developers and thousands of partners who have benefited from our platforms.
More than just Epic, that’s going to impact all the other companies that were looking forward to the new open landscape that the court’s injunction seemed to herald. That included big names like Microsoft, which was planning to upgrade its Android Xbox app to start selling games directly. Presumably, that will no longer be happening.