A federal judge has ordered Google to open its Android app store to competition, finding the tech giant had maintained an illegal monopoly that expanded its internet empire.
The injunction mandates several changes, including allowing Google’s Play Store for Android apps to distribute rival third-party app stores so consumers can download them to their phones if they choose.
The big picture: The court-mandated changes are aimed at preventing Google from blocking competition in the Android app market, protecting its commission system and helping elevate its parent company, Alphabet Inc., to a $2 trillion market value.
- Google will have until November to implement the revisions outlined in the judge’s order, even though they had previously claimed it would take 12 to 16 months to design the necessary safeguards to prevent malicious software from infiltrating rival app stores.
- The injunction prohibits Google from sharing revenue with those distributing or developing Android app stores until November 2027 and restricts actions such as requiring apps to use its billing system exclusively or steering customers to its own app store.
What they’re saying: Google said in a blog post that it plans to appeal the ruling.
- “The decision ignores what every developer in the world knows – they have to prioritize investing in developing for iPhones and Androids,” Google said. “Developers have finite resources and have to decide how much time and money to devote to building and updating their apps for each platform. Like any business, Google wants developers to offer their best features for Android and to release them on Android first. So we build tools, run training programs and invest in making it as easy as possible to develop for Android. Apple of course does the same – competing to convince developers to prioritize iOS.”
