Google Play Opens the Door to Third-Party App Stores, Starting Next Week - CNET

Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. As part of the antitrust settlement between Google and Epic Games, third-party app developers will have access to the Google Play Store beginning next week. As part of its settlement with Epic Games, Google Play will feature third-party app developers beginning on July 22. Get ready, Android users: Google will begin letting people download third-party apps from the Google Play Store next week, Bloomberg reports. This news comes after the five-year antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games, the creator of the popular video game Fortnite, concluded on Tuesday. Owners of Android phones in the US will be able to download third-party apps starting on July 22. Epic Games sued Google in 2020, claiming that Google’s Play Store operated as an unlawful monopoly by restricting easy access to third-party services, such as app stores and non-Google payment methods. In late 2023, the court ruled in Epic’s favor, an