Big Changes Are Coming To Android’s Google Play Store This Month

FotoField/Shutterstock

The Google Play Store has been the default home for officially downloading Android apps for years, but that’s about to change. Later this month, Google will enact changes that should make it much easier to install apps without relying solely on the company’s own marketplace in the United States. This major shift comes after Google and Epic Games unexpectedly abandoned a proposed settlement in what has been a multiyear legal fight. With the settlement abandoned, Google will now be forced to open the figurative doors of the Play Store to third-party app stores in the United States.

The ongoing legal feud between Google and Epic has been something to watch, especially for fans of Android and gaming. However, for a while, it seemed like the companies wouldn’t come to a solid conclusion. Something began to shift back in December 2025, when Fortnite returned to Android’s biggest app store, though. For some additional context, Google was ordered by a judge to open up Android to third-party app stores in October 2024. However, the company continued to fight this injunction, pushing for a settlement — one that Epic had even gotten on board with — which would allow it to avoid carrying third-party app stores directly in the Play Store, instead allowing users to sideload them.

However, now even that fight is officially over. As a Google spokesperson confirmed to The Verge, the company is withdrawing its motion to amend the injunction, which means Google will now need…

Source