Now shake hands

Google will make several changes to Android app support globally, supported through at least 2032.

Google’s Seattle headquarters in July 2022. Credit: Getty Images | 400tmax

Google has spent the last few years waging a losing battle against Epic Games, which accused the Android maker of illegally stifling competition in mobile apps. Losses in court left Google to make sweeping changes to the Play Store, but Google appeared poised to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court. That is unlikely now that Epic and Google have reached a settlement in the case. It still needs to be approved by the judge, but the agreement provides a framework for long-term changes to Android app distribution that would apply globally.

Late last month, Google was forced to make the first round of mandated changes to the Play Store to comply with the court’s ruling. It grudgingly began allowing developers to direct users to alternative payment options and app downloads outside of Google’s ecosystem. By next summer, Google was supposed to open up Android to third-party app stores in a big way.

These changes were only mandated for three years and in the United States. The new agreement includes a different vision for third-party stores on Android—one that Google finds more palatable and that still gives Epic what it wants. If approved, the settlement will lower Google’s standard fee for developers. There will also be new support in Android for third-party app stores that will reduce the friction of leaving the Google bubble. Under the terms of the settlement, Google will support these changes through at least June 2032.

Google’s Android chief Sameer Samat and Epic CEO Tim Sweeny announced the deal late on November 4. Sweeny calls it an “awesome proposal” that “genuinely doubles down on Android’s original vision as an open platform.”

Samat says the settlement achieves the overarching goal of increasing choice and competition, but it does that “all while keeping users safe.”

The new fee setup is a bit confusing, but the gist is that Google’s share is capped at 20 percent or 9 percent, depending on the type of transaction. For comparison, the current rate is 15 percent for the first $1 million in annual developer revenue and 30 percent thereafter. The document filed with the court for review says that the 20 percent fee is for purchases that provide “more than a de minimis gameplay advantage.” That can include increasing player power, changing game outcomes, or gameplay progress rate. Loot boxes with random contents are also covered under this provision.

The side-by-side payment method placement that got Epic’s Fortnite pulled from Android in the first place will now be explicitly allowed.

Credit: Epic Games

The side-by-side payment method placement that got Epic’s Fortnite pulled from Android in the first place will now be explicitly allowed. Credit: Epic Games

There are a few caveats, though. While the 9 percent should cover most microtransactions in apps and games, it doesn’t include the commission for Play Store billing if a user buys it via Google’s system. That cut will be another 5 percent. Google can also extract more revenue from third-party billing systems with service fees. Google has to provide an API to track such transactions, and it cannot use this system to interfere with developers offering alternative payment methods.

Epic is also easing up on Google’s mandate that developers use Play Billing. Under the proposal, Google can require that devs include that as an option alongside third-party payment methods. Apps can still set their own prices and offer lower prices if you skip Google’s system.

Treating third parties as first-class

The biggest change set forth in US District Court Judge James Donato’s ruling, and the one that caused Google the most headaches, was the requirement that Google begin distributing third-party app stores and mirror Play Store apps in them. This change may even have been the impetus for Google’s planned developer verification scheme. Google won’t have to go quite as far under the settlement, but it is still going to give other app stores a shot.

Under the terms, Google agrees to implement a system in the next version of Android that will give third-party app stores a way to become officially registered as an application source. These “Registered App Stores” will be installable from websites with a single click and without the alarming warnings that accompany traditional sideloads. Again, this will be supported globally rather than only in the US, as the previous order required.

The motion filed with the court doesn’t include much detail on how Registered App Stores will operate once installed. Given Epic’s aversion to the scare screens that appear when sideloading apps, installs managed by registered third-party stores may also be low-friction. The Play Store can install apps without forcing the user to clear a bunch of warnings ,and it can update apps automatically. We may see similar capabilities for third-parties once Google adds the promised support in the next version of Android.

This is the kind of “friction” the settlement would avoid.

Credit: Ryan Whitwam

This is the kind of “friction” the settlement would avoid. Credit: Ryan Whitwam

Importantly, Google is allowed to create “reasonable requirements” for certifying these app stores. Reviews may be carried out, and Google can charge fees for that process. However, the fees cannot be revenue-dependent.

The changes detailed in the settlement are not as wide-ranging as Judge Donato’s original order but still mark a shift toward openness. Third-party app stores are getting a boost, developers will enjoy lower fees, and Google won’t drag the process out for years. The parties claim in their joint motion that the agreement does not seek to undo the jury verdict or sidestep the court’s previous order. Rather, it aims to reinforce the court’s intent while eliminating potential delays in realigning the app market.

Google and Epic are going to court on Thursday to ask Judge Donato to approve the settlement, and Google could put the billing changes into practice by late this year. The app store changes would come around June next year when we expect Android 17 to begin rolling out. However, Google’s Android Canary and Beta releases may offer a glimpse of this system earlier in 2026.

Ryan Whitwam is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering the ways Google, AI, and mobile technology continue to change the world. Over his 20-year career, he’s written for Android Police, ExtremeTech, Wirecutter, NY Times, and more. He has reviewed more phones than most people will ever own. You can follow him on Bluesky, where you will see photos of his dozens of mechanical keyboards.