San Francisco, October 19: Google has been granted a temporary pause amid the ongoing legal battle with Epic Games. A California judge paused his order to overhaul the Google Play store by November 1, 2024, to give customers a choice in downloading the applications. The antitrust lawsuit against Google was filed by Epic Games, known for popular Fortnite games. Google argued during the lawsuit hearing that the decision would harm the company.

Reuters reported that San Francisco-based US District Judge James Donato decided that Google should make necessary changes to its Play Store to allow the rival app stores. It was ruled that the tech giant would have to allow these third-party app stores to access its entire app catalogue. On October 7, 2024, the report said that a Google spokesperson argued that doing so would harm the company and lead to serious safety, security and privacy risks within the Android system. Apple Pay Now Supports 3rd-Party Web Browsers and Computers, Expands Its Buy Now, Pay Later Services; Check Details.

Amid these arguments, Judge James Donato delayed his decision to let the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals consider Google's separate request to hold the order. The US district judge denied the request for Google to pause the order for the duration of the ongoing case. Google reportedly said that it was glad that the District Court decided to temporarily pause the implementation of the harmful remedies demanded by the Epic Games.

Fortnite maker said in a statement that Judge James Donato's decision was a procedural step and already made it clear that Google's appeal was "meritless". It said that the court rejected the tech giant's request to delay opening up the Android devices to competition while the appeal continues. TRAI Releases Consultation Paper To Create Regulatory Framework for Ground-Based Broadcasters.

Epic Games accused Google of using “fearmongering and unsubstantiated security threats” to maintain control over Android devices and continue charging high fees. The game and software developer argued that Google had monopolised how the customers downloaded the applications on their Android devices and how they would pay for in-app transactions. The order requested that Google let users download from third-party Android platforms or stores in Google Play and use other payment methods. 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 19, 2024 02:31 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).