Google Third-Party App Store Access: US Court Orders Tech Giant To Allow Third-Party Application Stores in Android, Allow Them Their Own Billing System
US court judge ruled that Google must allow the third-party app stores in Android operating system, sperate from the Google Play store and also allow them to follow their own billing system.
Mountain View, October 8: A US federal judge ordered the tech giant to open its app store to rivals and give Android users a choice to download apps. Google's Android app store. The judge also ordered the company to tear down its digital walls that shielded the app store from any competition. Google was accused of maintaining an illegal monopoly through its app store, which helped it expand its digital empire.
According to reports, US District Judge James Donato issued his final amid the Epic Vs Google battle. Under the latest injunction, the company will have to open doors to competition on its Android operating system for three years. The third-party app stores will get access to the full catalogue of the Google Play applications unless the developers wish to opt out of it by themselves. Cognizant Discrimination Allegations: US District Court Jury Claims Tech Giant Discriminated Against Non-Indian Workers in Silicon Valley
Reports said that the Google Play store earned billions of dollars yearly by charging 15% to 30% commission. Google imposed this commission on the apps and earned money from digital transactions allowed within the apps. Similarly, the tech giant Apple was also accused of the same practice, which made it impossible for any third-party stores to enter.
Epic Games filed antitrust lawsuits against Apple, demanding that third-party developers be allowed to provide their services on the app store. To tackle such problems, the EU introduced a new Digital Markets Act 2023 to allow this practice. Despite the federal judge favouring Apple, the Jury favoured Epic Games after the four-week trial. FTX Bankruptcy Plan Approved by US Judge After 2 Years, Creditors To Receive USD 1.19 for Every Dollar.
With this new injunction, Google must permit the third-party Android app stores and cannot force the developers to use Google Play's billing system. The court order also said that the tech giant would have to allow them to notify the users to adopt other payment methods. In response to this, Google said it would file an appeal and ask the court to pause the changes. The tech giant would reportedly argue to the court that the new changes would undercut Android's ability to compete with Apple's iOS.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 08, 2024 12:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).