---
title: Judge Orders Google to Ease Installation of Rival Android App Stores
description: A federal judge told Google its process for installing rival Android app stores is still too hard and ordered it eased, the latest turn in Epic v Google.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-08-14T09:00:00.000Z
updated: 2026-08-14T09:38:34.004Z
canonical: https://www.sovereignmagazine.com/article/judge-orders-google-ease-rival-app-store-installs
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-detailed-view-of-a-smartphone-screen-with-popular-app-icons--8296105.jpg
categories: Legal
content_type: News
region: United States
publication: Sovereign Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

A federal judge has told Google that the way it currently lets Android users install rival app stores remains too difficult, and ordered the company to make the process easier. Judge James Donato, who is overseeing the remedies in Epic Games' antitrust case against Google, said at a hearing on August 13 that the remaining friction is "not acceptable," according to reporting of the hearing by The Verge. The instruction turns the court's attention from whether rival stores can reach Android at all, which is now settled, to how hard it is for a user to actually put one on a phone.

Under the injunction already in force, competing app stores can be distributed on Android and can reach the Google Play catalog. Donato's finding is that the install flow a user meets in practice does not yet match that, and he ordered Google to change it.

The court's earlier orders opened Android to rival stores in principle. Donato's remarks push on what happens at the moment a user tries to add one. He said the process Google offers still puts too much friction in the way, and ordered the company to make installing a competing store easier. Google has not said whether it will appeal.

## Rival Stores Can Already Reach the Play Catalog

The dispute sits on top of a verdict Google has already lost. Epic Games sued Google in 2020, alleging it had illegally monopolized app distribution on Android. A San Francisco jury found for Epic in December 2023. Donato then issued a permanent injunction, and the Ninth Circuit affirmed it unanimously in July 2025, allowing the order to stand.

The injunction requires Google to let third-party Android app stores reach the Google Play app catalog and to allow rival stores to be distributed through Google Play itself. It also bars Google from striking exclusive or first-launch deals that would shut competitors out. The mechanism Google built to comply, the Play Catalog Access Program, went live on July 22, 2026. Google charges rival store operators an enrollment fee of $15,000 upfront plus $5,000 per year.

## A First Rival Store Is Already Live

On August 10 and 11, 2026, Aptoide, through its Aptoide Games storefront, became the first rival app store to be distributed directly through Google Play in the United States. With distribution open and one competitor through the door, the barrier that remains is the steps a user must take to install a rival store, which is what Donato ordered Google to ease.

Companies that stand to benefit from easier distribution on Android include Epic, Microsoft and Amazon, each of which has an interest in reaching Android users outside Google's own store. What Donato ordered will determine how much of that opening reaches ordinary users, not just rival companies.

## FAQ

**Q: Does Google have a deadline to change the install process?**
The reporting of the August 13 hearing does not set out a firm public deadline. Donato ordered Google to ease the process, but the exact timeline was not established in the coverage.

**Q: Can Google still appeal?**
Google has not said whether it will challenge this order. It has already lost the underlying case: the jury verdict and injunction were affirmed by the Ninth Circuit in July 2025 and allowed to stand.

**Q: Does this affect Android users outside the United States?**
The case is a U.S. antitrust matter, and the developments described here concern the United States. The reporting does not establish effects for users in other countries.