What did the judge order Google to change?

Judge James Donato ordered Google to replace the extra 'View' button step with a direct one-tap Install button for third-party app stores, fix Play Store search so it reliably surfaces rival stores, and remove a warning banner that interrupted the install flow. All three changes are due by August 20, 2026.

What is the Epic v. Google case about?

A 2023 jury verdict found Google illegally monopolized Android app distribution and billing through the Play Store. The case is now in a compliance phase, where the court checks whether Google's actual changes match what the ruling required — this latest order came out of one of those compliance hearings.

Which app store triggered this ruling?

Aptoide Games became the first third-party app store to list directly on the Play Store, going live on August 10, 2026. The court found that even after this rollout, installing it still required more steps than installing a normal app, which prompted the new order.

Do I need to update anything to see these changes?

No. The ordered fixes are server-side changes to the Play Store app and its search index, not a client update. If Google complies by the deadline, the simpler install flow and working search should appear automatically.

Does this mean I can now install any app store from Google Play?

It means the process should get easier for stores that choose to list themselves on Play, like Aptoide. It doesn't automatically add new competing stores — each one still has to publish its own listing. But the ruling removes a specific set of extra steps and a broken search that made using the ones already there harder than it should have been.

Judge Orders Google to Strip Friction Blocking Rival App Stores

What triggered the hearing

Google began letting third-party app stores list themselves directly on the Play Store earlier this month, with Aptoide Games becoming the first to go live on August 10. On paper that looked like compliance with the 2023 jury verdict that found Google illegally monopolized Android app distribution and billing. In practice, Judge Donato found the rollout still buried rival stores behind extra steps that ordinary Play Store apps don't have to clear.

Installing a normal app on Android is a single tap: hit Install, and it downloads. Installing a third-party app store through the same Play Store listing required an extra tap on a "View" button first, plus a warning-style interstitial and additional confirmation screens before the download would even start. Donato said that gap between how an ordinary app installs and how a rival store installs was itself the anticompetitive friction the court's original order was meant to eliminate, telling Google's lawyers the setup was "not acceptable."

The three fixes Google now has to ship

According to reporting on the hearing, Donato ordered Google to make the following changes within one week:

Replace the "View" button with a direct "Install" button on third-party app store listings, so installing a rival store takes the same one-tap path as installing any other app.
Fix Play Store search so common, loosely-phrased queries like "store for apps" actually surface competing app stores instead of returning unrelated results like retail listings. Donato reportedly said the search should work for "every possible variation that's even only 70 percent properly phrased."
Remove the "are you looking for" warning banner that currently interrupts the install flow, which the judge described as friction with "no purpose whatsoever."

Google's counsel reportedly agreed to the changes in court rather than contesting them, which suggests the company expects to comply on the August 20 deadline rather than appeal it.

Why this matters beyond Aptoide

The ruling doesn't just affect one app store. Any company that wants to distribute an alternative Android storefront through Google Play — offering different app selections, pricing, or payment options than Google's own billing system — was facing the same buried, multi-step install path Aptoide hit. A cleaner, one-tap install and search that actually returns results should make it realistically viable for more competitors to list themselves the same way, rather than relying on sideloading from a browser or a third-party site.

It also keeps the pressure on Google's broader compliance with the Epic verdict, which has already forced changes to how Google bills for in-app purchases and how it lets developers point users to outside payment options. This latest order targets the installation experience specifically, closing a gap between what the court ordered on paper and what Android users actually saw when they tried to use it.

The pressure on app store gatekeeping isn't limited to Android. Apple has faced its own string of app store disputes recently, including a Brazilian lawsuit over age checks on App Store casino games and the earlier arrival of a rival storefront when the Epic Games Store launched on iPhone in Brazil. Both platforms are being pushed toward the same outcome from different directions: fewer artificial barriers between users and the app stores they choose.

What to expect by August 20

Because the fixes are server-side changes to the Play Store app and its search index, users shouldn't need to install anything themselves to see them — assuming Google meets the deadline. If you've tried finding a third-party app store on Play and hit a wall of extra screens or a search that turned up nothing useful, that's the exact behavior the court just ordered removed. Whether Google's compliance holds up to scrutiny once the changes ship is likely to come up again in future hearings, given how closely the court is now tracking the details of the install flow rather than just the policy on paper.