Google is finally complying with the courts decision from their case with Epic Games. Where a jury ruled that the Play Store and its payment systme was acting like an illegal monopoly. So now, in order to comply with this decision, Google is rolling out some pretty big changes to the Play Store in the US.
Developers will now be able to inform their users about a better deal outside of the Play Store. Essentially, a game developer could say that this in-app purchase will cost $15 through Google Play, or $10 through their own website and payment provider. They can even share a direct download link for the app and bypass the Play Store altogether.
To ensure compliance with the injunction as of October 29, 2025, we have made the following changes for apps when serving users in the United States:
- Google will not prohibit a developer from communicating with users about the availability or pricing of an app outside the Google Play Store, and will not prohibit a developer from providing a link to download the app outside the Google Play Store or link to transactions.
- Google will not require the use of Google Play Billing in apps distributed on the Google Play Store, or prohibit the use of in-app payment methods other than Google Play Billing. Google will not prohibit a developer from communicating with users about the availability of a payment method other than Google Play Billing. Google will not require a developer to set a price based on whether Google Play Billing is used.
More changes are on the way
According to Google, there will be more changes to the Play Store in the near future. Sharing that “more program requirements and business model changes to preserve user trust and safety in the ecosystem” will be made soon.
Google could decide to take a page out of Apple’s playbook and make some absurd new restrictions that would make the freedom less attractive for developers and users. But we’ll have to wait and see how those trickle down.
For now, these changes only affect the US Play Store. And that will likely remain the case until courts in other countries force Google to make these changes.
The post Google Just Broke Up Its Own Monopoly — Thanks to Epic Games appeared first on Android Headlines.
