Google’s Android Play Store is “changing” – for now; Company “pleased” with pause on “dangerous substance”

A federal judge has temporarily suspended an order requiring Google to make sweeping changes to its Play Store, giving the company breathing room in its ongoing litigation Cartel fight with Epic games.
U.S. District Judge James Donato in San Francisco on Friday granted Google’s request to stay its Oct. 7 preliminary injunction that would have forced the company to restructure Marketplace for Android apps until November 1st. The stay will remain in effect until the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rules on Google’s separate request for a longer stay pending its appeal.
“We are pleased with the district court’s decision to temporarily suspend implementation of the dangerous remedies requested by Epic as the appeals court considers our request for a further stay of the remedies while we file an appeal,” a Google spokesperson said.
The injunction stemmed from a December 2023 jury verdict that found Google had illegally monopolized Android App distribution and in-app payment processing. Judge Donato’s order would have required Google to allow users to download from third-party app stores through Play, allow alternative in-app payment methods, and stop paying device manufacturers to pre-install Play.
Google argued that implementing these changes so quickly would create “serious security and privacy risks” for Android users. The company has appealed the jury’s antitrust findings to the 9th Circuit.
The case, filed by “Fortnite” maker Epic Games, is part of a broader legal and regulatory review of Google’s app store practices. The Play Store brought in an estimated $14.66 billion in revenue in 2020, and analysts have warned that forced changes could significantly impact Google’s revenue.
Epic Games has not yet commented on the latest development. The company has filed similar antitrust lawsuits against Apple, but was largely unsuccessful in this case.