Epic and Google Settle Antitrust Lawsuit, Propose Major Changes to Play Store

Epic Games and Google have reached a settlement in their long-running Play Store antitrust case, filing a joint motion in federal court that proposes significant changes to the Android ecosystem. The agreement, which must be approved by a judge, aims to resolve the litigation by increasing developer choice and lowering fees.

In a joint filing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the two companies asked Judge James Donato to modify the permanent injunction issued after a jury found the Google Play Store to be an illegal monopoly last year. The proposed changes are intended to foster more competition in Android app distribution and in-app payments.

Under the new terms, Google would be required to make changes to Android to allow for a more streamlined, low-friction installation process for qualified third-party app stores, referred to as "Registered App Stores." The settlement also specifies that developers will be permitted to offer alternative payment options, both within their apps and through external links. For transactions in Play-distributed apps using these alternative methods, Google would assess a capped service fee of 9% or 20%, depending on the type of transaction.


Many of the proposed remedies would last until 2032, a longer term than the original three-year injunction.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney praised the agreement on X, calling Google's proposal "awesome" and saying it "genuinely doubles down on Android's original vision as an open platform." He contrasted the settlement with Apple's model, which blocks competing stores. Sameer Samat, Google's President of Android Ecosystem, said the proposed changes would expand "developer choice and flexibility" while keeping users safe.

The resolution in the Google case is notably different from Epic's legal battle with Apple, where the company largely lost its antitrust claims. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately declined to hear appeals from either side in that case.

Judge Donato is scheduled to meet with lawyers for Epic and Google this week to discuss the proposed settlement.


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