Judge Allows Google to Maintain Closed Android App Store for Now

Google has secured a minor yet significant victory in its ongoing legal dispute with Epic Games. The company recently requested that Judge James Donato postpone his November 1st deadline, which required substantial changes to Google’s Android app store policies. Both Epic and Google confirmed to The Verge that Judge Donato has granted Google a temporary administrative stay. This decision allows Google to maintain its current Play Store practices while it appeals the verdict, potentially delaying any changes for years, if they occur at all.

In December, a jury unanimously ruled that Google’s Play Store had become an illegal monopoly. Google is appealing both the jury’s verdict and the court’s order. The temporary administrative stay granted today provides the appeals court time to consider a longer stay. Judge Donato indicated in the courtroom that he expects the Ninth Circuit to approve a more extended stay, which would allow Google to delay making changes until the appeal process is complete. However, Judge Donato himself declined to grant Google a longer stay.

Without the stay, developers would have had the option to bypass Google’s Play Billing as of November 1st, and Google would have been prohibited from offering certain financial incentives to retain developers. Furthermore, an eight-month countdown for Google to host third-party marketplaces in its Play Store would have commenced. Judge Donato initially allowed Google less than a month to begin adjusting its app store policies. Google argued for the same 90-day period that Apple received to implement similar changes, noting that Epic did not contest the 90-day timeline.

With the stay in place, Google temporarily avoids making these changes and potentially follows a strategy similar to Apple’s, which delayed the removal of anti-steering App Store rules for over two years. Absent the stay, Judge Donato’s ruling could have had immediate effects on both developers and consumers. For example, Microsoft planned to enable game purchases and playability in the Xbox Android App, while Epic intended to bring its Epic Games Store to Google Play the following year. These developments may now be postponed for several years unless the Ninth Circuit denies a stay.

Google expressed satisfaction with the decision to The Verge, stating that the temporary pause prevents the implementation of remedies it considers dangerous. These remedies, according to Google, threaten the Play Store’s capacity to offer a secure environment, and the company is eager to present its case to protect its extensive network of U.S. developers, partners, and Android users. Epic Games declined to comment on the matter.

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