Google Opens Android to Rival App Stores After Antitrust Fight

Google is overhauling the economics of the Android app ecosystem after years of antitrust pressure and a long legal fight with Epic Games.

The big changes:

1. The 30% Play Store fee is gone: devs will now pay around 20% for in-app purchases, with some programs dropping closer to 15% or even 10% depending on the situation.

2. Third-party payment systems are allowed: devs can use their own payment processors instead of Google’s billing system.

3. Third-party app stores are welcome: Google is launching a “Registered App Stores” program, making it easier for alternative stores (like Epic's, Samsung's, Huawei's) to distribute apps on Android devices. The program also makes sideloading less scary, so one-tap approvals instead of scary “unknown sources” warnings.

Why This Happened

This is the aftermath of the Epic Games vs Google antitrust case, which challenged Google’s control over Android app distribution.

A jury found that Google had maintained an illegal monopoly over Android app distribution, forcing these changes.

Epic originally triggered the fight in 2020 when Fortnite bypassed Google’s billing system, leading to the game being removed from the Play Store.

Now the settlement is forcing Google to loosen its grip on the Android app economy.

What This Means in Practice

Three big changes could follow:

1. Devs keep more money. The old 30% “app store tax” has been a major complaint for years, so lower fees mean devs keep a bigger slice of revenue. Big win for indie devs.

2. Android could become more open. Alternative stores like Epic Games Store or other curated app stores could become easier to install and use.

3. Google still keeps control. Even with these changes: Google still charges 11–26% (depending on category and region) for “distribution, security, and platform services.” So it’s not *30% → 0*, it’s more like *30% → 20% + optional 5–11% if you keep Google Billing*. Third-party stores must still meet Google security standards. So the ecosystem becomes more flexible, but not fully open, so let's not shout for joy just yet.

The Interesting Angle

But the fee isn't the whole story.

The mobile app economy is slowly being forced open. That's why we're talking about this.

For years it worked like this:

• Apple App Store → controlled distribution
• Google Play → controlled distribution
• both took 30% cuts

Now regulators and courts are pushing both companies toward a more PC-like model, where apps can come from multiple stores.