Google ordered to simplify access to alternative Android app stores after judge finds ‘anticompetitive friction’

Google just got told its homework isn’t good enough. US District Judge James Donato ruled on August 13 that the tech giant has been adding unnecessary hurdles to the process of discovering and installing third-party app stores through the Play Store, calling the obstacles “anticompetitive friction” and ordering Google to fix them within a week.

The ruling lands barely days after Google began allowing alternative app store downloads through its marketplace for the first time. Aptoide, the first non-Google store to gain access, went live in the Play Store in early August. But getting there apparently requires users to navigate extra steps and confusing search results that Judge Donato found deliberately obstructive.

The long road from verdict to remedy

This latest order is another chapter in a saga that started with a jury verdict in late 2023. That’s when a jury found Google had maintained an illegal monopoly over Android app distribution through manipulative agreements with device manufacturers and carriers.

In October 2024, Judge Donato issued an injunction requiring Google to host rival app stores within the Play Store and provide those competitors access to its full app catalog.

Nearly two years later, Google technically complied. Aptoide showed up in the Play Store. But Judge Donato wasn’t satisfied with the execution. His August ruling specifically called out Google’s search algorithms, which he said failed to surface alternative app stores unless users typed exact, specific phrases. He mandated that search results display app stores even when users enter only partial or approximate search terms.

Epic and Google: partners and adversaries

The relationship between Epic Games and Google has taken on a fascinatingly contradictory shape. In January 2026, the two companies announced a commercial partnership worth $800 million over six years. Yet the antitrust litigation in the US hasn’t gone away. Epic and Google remain on opposite sides of the courtroom when it comes to the remedies Judge Donato is implementing.

What the ruling actually changes

Judge Donato’s order targets several specific friction points. Google must improve how its search algorithms handle queries related to alternative app stores. The company also needs to remove unnecessary steps in the installation process, steps the judge characterized as designed to discourage users rather than protect them.

The one-week compliance deadline is notably aggressive. Courts in tech antitrust cases frequently allow months or even years for implementation. A seven-day window suggests Judge Donato views the current barriers as relatively simple to remove.

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