Washington, D.C.: A US federal court ruled on Thursday, July 31, 2025, that Google must allow other app stores to use its Android operating system. This could change the way mobile apps are distributed. This decision comes after the internet giant lost its appeal in a key antitrust case brought by Fortnite producer Epic Games. A California jury had already found that Google has an illegal monopoly through its Android Play Store.
The decision makes it possible for other app stores, like the Epic Games Store, to work within the Android ecosystem without having to utilize Google’s own payment system, which usually charges up to 30% on transactions.
The first verdict was upheld by the appeals court.
In a written ruling, US Ninth Circuit Court Judge Margaret McKeown said that a panel of justices had chosen to keep the initial verdict from December 2023. Judge McKeown agreed that the first ruling’s limits were “supported by the record and the nature of the market.” This shows that the judge strongly agreed with the jury’s findings that Google was engaging in unfair business practices.
Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, enthusiastically praised the news by writing on X (previously Twitter): “Total victory in the Epic v Google appeal!” This is a big success for Epic Games in its long-running fight against powerful app store owners.
Google has, however, guaranteed that it will keep fighting in court. Lee-Anne Mulholland, Google’s worldwide head of regulatory relations, said that the corporation will take this case to the US Supreme Court, which is the highest court in the US.
Google says there are safety risks, and advocacy groups are happy about it.
Mulholland was quite worried about what the ruling would mean, saying, “This decision will significantly harm user safety, limit choice, and undermine the innovation that has always been central to the Android ecosystem.” She said, “Our top priority is still keeping our users, developers, and partners safe and keeping the platform secure while we continue our appeal.”
On the other hand, groups that fight for internet rights have praised the decision. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), which filed an amicus brief in the case, said that “competition, not monopoly, will keep users safer.” The EFF has said bad things about tech companies in the past for what it calls “feudal security,” which means that “users must depend on the whims of a monopolist to guarantee their safety.” The group thinks that the judge’s order will make the competition between Android app shops more fair, which could lead to alternatives with “better vetting and curation policies.”
“Project Liberty” and the War for the App Store
Epic Games launched an antitrust case against Google, saying that the company used its Play Store and required payment mechanism to keep an illegitimate monopoly. The main point of the disagreement is the fees that Google charges for in-app purchases.
Epic Games and Apple are also fighting over its App Store in a high-profile legal battle. Epic Games purposely put a hidden code into the program for the popular game Fortnite shortly after it came out on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. This code let players get around the payment-processing systems of both tech giants, which meant they didn’t have to pay their commissions, which might be as high as 30%. Epic called this plan to get around the main smartphone digital content stores “Project Liberty” within the company. They said it was a protest against the stores’ strict control.
Fortnite came back to Apple’s App Store in the US in May 2025 after being out of the store for years because of a legal struggle. However, Apple is also appealing other parts of the case’s decision, even though a judge said that Apple’s App Store is not a monopoly.
The most recent verdict against Google is part of a rising worldwide movement to make the digital economy more open and competitive, especially when it comes to app stores and payment systems. Regulators and judges throughout the world are paying more and more attention to the market dominance of big digital businesses.